The debate over the use of mild stimulants and depressants by AFL players has been reignited after Tiger Ben Cousins was admitted to hospital on Monday morning after suffering an adverse reaction to a sleeping tablet.
“I’ve never taken [sleeping tablets] and I don’t think any player [at the Swans] has taken them, but I can understand why players would,” Kennelly said on Tuesday.
“It could be three, four o’clock in the morning, maybe five o’clock some mornings when I get to sleep after a game. Your adrenaline’s pumping and you’ve got all this going through your mind, it’s impossible to slow your mind down.
“Generally, I go home and have two glasses of red wine and I’m out, but sometimes you just can’t stop your mind from racing and you can understand why players would take it.”
Kennelly said caffeine tablets were freely available for Swans players to take before a game and he defended their use.
However, he preferred to ingest caffeine in a more natural form to achieve a similar effect.
“I have a cup of coffee before the game and it gives you a bit of pep in your step. It’s not illegal,” Kennelly said.
“Obviously it’s a hot topic at the moment with Ben, but there’s a health issue as well. You really want to know what you’re taking and what’s going on with it.
“That’s probably the biggest thing with Ben at the moment - his health, more than anything else.”
While caffeine tablets were available, Kennelly said the club did not provide sleeping tablets for players.
The club doctors were rigorous in ensuring players knew the precise effects of any medication they were prescribed, he added.
“Anything that’s given to you, you’re given the pros and cons of it. I won’t put anything in my mouth without ever asking the doctor what it is,” he said.
“It’s more of a health issue for me - worrying about five, six, seven, eight, 15 years down the line. Is it going to come back and bite me?”
