AFL

Carlton has released a statement confirming that Lachie Cowan and Will Hayward were admitted to hospital under separate circumstances on Sunday morning.

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«Cowan received medical treatment and underwent observation, before being discharged a short time later,» the statement said.

«Will Hayward experienced a minor cut to the head after a fall, and admitted himself to hospital where he received stitches before being discharged.»

The club statement follows earlier reports that several players from a Melbourne-based AFL club were forced to seek emergency medical treatment following an alleged drug incident.

According to Channel 7 the group had been partying at a player’s house on Saturday night.

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While specific details have not been released around the hospitalisations and the club has made no reference to drugs being involved, the alleged incident comes at a time of intense scrutiny within the AFL following the events that engulfed the Sydney Swans back in August.

It seems certain to trigger a major response from the AFL and involvement from its integrity and player welfare units, particularly given the AFL and AFL Players Association only agreed on a new Illicit Drugs Policy in March which replaced the previous ‘three strikes’ model which had been heavily criticised.

This is a developing story with further details expected to emerge as the AFL responds.

BREAKING: A Melbourne based AFL team has been plunged into an off-season crisis with players forced to report to hospital after suffering complications from allegedly taking recreational drugs.📌 MORE: https://t.co/QI03PCepph @cassiezervos https://t.co/crBpGelYeu

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— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) October 11, 2026