Hawthorn star Jordan Lewis says making AFL illicit drug test results public would not help anyone – least of all the players involved.

Lewis disagrees strongly with former Hawks president Jeff Kennett, who has called on the league to either go public with any positive tests or scrap the policy.

Last week’s revelation that up to 11 Collingwood players had failed hair tests in the off-season predictably has sparked a furious debate about the revised illicit drugs code.

“I don’t know what it would improve if all these drug tests became public – what would Jeff get out of it? What would other people get out of it?” Lewis said

“It doesn’t really improve the situation and it doesn’t really help the player if he has a problem with illicit drugs.

“So I don’t know whether making these results public would deter players from taking them – maybe they would.

“But the system that the AFL and the AFLPA have put in place, we’ve heard that it needs time … I think we’re getting there.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said the league, players and clubs were banding together and trying to sort through the problem.

McGuire is furious at how some elements of the media have handled last week’s story.

“This was an attack on my club,” he said on Triple M.

He was particularly angry at varying reports on how many Collingwood players had tested positive.

“What is this? Chook lotto,” he said.

“These are the lives of people, this is the integrity of a club, this is everything we stand for in football.

“This is people’s hearts being broken.

“This is the most serious and personal attack you can have on people.”

Richmond forward Sam Lloyd also backed the illicit drugs policy.

“I don’t like the way it got brought out into the public in the Collingwood saga – I think that’s a bit of a disgrace,” he said.

“As a club, we’re pretty comfortable with (the policy).”