WHILE rugby league deals with its off-season horrors, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan rates his club captains as potential son-in-law material. 

McLachlan was careful not to criticise rugby league and would not comment on that code's crackdown on player behaviour following a succession of scandals. 

Someone asked me the other day, 'who would you like one of your daughters to marry?' - I'm happy with any one of the captains - AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan

Instead, he lauded the AFL players for their conduct. 

"I've studiously avoided, for a long time in this role, commenting on what other sports are doing," he said. 

"I understand where they (rugby league) are at and obviously it's a very tough period. 

"Our players make mistakes, they're not going to get everything right. 

"But by and large, I'm very proud of the playing group." 

Next week, McLachlan will meet with the captains as part of the AFL's season launch. 

"I look around and go 'God, what a group of men'," he said. 

"Someone asked me the other day, 'who would you like one of your daughters to marry?' - I'm happy with any one of the captains. 

"That is not supposed to be sounding anything other than real about the fact that there will be mistakes. 

"But I reckon we have some very good men and women leading our clubs and we're lucky." 

The AFL is not without its own player issues, with St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt weighing into the illicit drugs issue. 

Riewoldt said drug use among players is out of control and it is a free for all. 

Port Adelaide player Jack Watts was in hot water a month ago when video emerged of him snorting a legal white powder (commonly called 'Wiesn Koks') off a woman's breasts last year at Oktoberfest in Germany.