Adelaide Crows coach Brenton Sanderson says the AFL should trust its clubs more. Picture: Tait Schmaal. CROWS coach Brenton Sanderson wants the AFL to show more trust towards its clubs as the league's contentious illicit drug policy continues to be under attack. And Sanderson insists the AFL is clean of performance-enhancing drugs which fall under another league policy. The three-strike policy for illicit drugs - compared to zero tolerance for performance-enhancing drugs - is leaving AFL clubs in the dark when their players are developing dangerous social habits. "Our preference would be to have more access (to information on players failing drug tests)," Sanderson said. We need more trust at club land that we can handle issues internally. We don't need to take players off site to deal with illicit drugs. I still think we need help from external sources but I know, from my point of view, the Adelaide Football Club is very well equipped to handle these sorts of issues. I'd prefer at club land we know more information than we currently do. Sanderson is not alarmed by the Australian Crime Commission report that has embroiled the Essendon Football Club and one un-named player in the spectre of using performance-enhancing drugs. But he is far more concerned with the risk posed by illicit drugs in Australian football. (My wife) asked when we inject the players. I said never "Illicit drugs is an issue in society - and we have contacts with the SA Police who tell us that drugs are a major issue and our players would certainly be exposed to it when they socialise in public," Sanderson said. So we're doing our very best through our player development manager and welfare officer ensuring players are well educated on the dangers associated with illicit drugs. I do think we have a clean competition in the AFL. I have been involved with footy for more than 20 years now and I've never been offered performance-enhancing drugs, I've never seen players with them, I've never heard the whispers in corridors or anything about performance-enhancing drugs. That's not to say it is not happening. But I am confident the Adelaide Football Club is clean. Sanderson has been left cold by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou recently revealing a club doctor could tell a coach a player "is unfit for selection" but must not specify the player's absence had been enforced by drug issues. "I couldn't handle that (lack of information)," said Sanderson. In my role as senior coach, I feel I have a great relationship with my players. But I don't think a player would come to me and talk to me about a problem with illicit drugs. I'm lucky that we have Andrew Potter who is one of the best doctors in the AFL - and I have to put a fair amount of trust in him. Sanderson has found the ACC report of AFL players being injected with performance-enhancing peptides has brought a grilling at home from his wife, Veronika. "My wife asked me when this stuff came out about the players being injected, how do I know our players aren't being injected?" said Sanderson. I said because I am at the club every day and I am witness to whenever we inject the player. She asked when we inject the players. I said never. The only time would be for a flu vaccination. That's why I'm certain that the Adelaide Football Club does things above board.