Port Adelaide are confident their ex-Essendon forward Angus Monfries will play out the AFL season despite his involvement in the Bombers’ drugs investigation.

But the Power have denied being told Monfries will be cleared for any finals campaign, regardless of the outcome of the Essendon drugs scandal.

Monfries played 150 games for Essendon but was traded to Port Adelaide at the end of last season.

Port coach Ken Hinkley said the supplements scandal at Essendon had been harder for Monfries because he had left the club.

“I’m not certainly aware that he has or he hasn’t been cleared,” Hinkley told reporters on Thursday.

“I think we expect, as everyone expects, that the players are the ones that we’re first and foremost worried about and we want to make sure that they’re okay.

“And for Gus to be at a different club, it’s even a little bit more difficult for him to deal with I suppose because he’s not quite as sure about what is going on.

“We’re hopeful that everything will work out okay.”

Monfries was interviewed by Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), which has delivered their interim report to the AFL and, in turn, the Bombers.

“It’s something that I’m not totally over and Gus has been able to deal with it all the way through. If it hasn’t affected him and the way he has gone about it (football),” Hinkley said.

“I suppose he is like the rest of us: he’s just waiting to see what the outcome of the report is going to be. And then, what will happen from there, we’ll have to deal with.”

Asked if he was confident Monfries would play the rest of the season, Hinkley replied: “Yeah, we are.”

“When I say confident, I’m only reading what I’m reading and seeing what I’m seeing and I would assume that he would be okay,” he said.

“But until you see the report, see what is actually in that, I’m guessing.”

The AFL Commission will discuss the report at a meeting on Monday.