Ex-ASADA boss defends Eagles' 2006 title

Former ASADA boss Richard Ings has weighed into the debate surrounding West Coast's 2006 premiership win.

Ings, who was the ASADA chief from 2005-2010, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that no Eagles players returned positive match-day tests during that season and insists the grand final was the most tested game of the year.

He also added that players were regularly tested for recreational drugs as well as performance-enhancing substances.

Ings' comments come after claims by former Sydney Swans forward Barry Hall that the Eagles' grand final win over Sydney was tainted.

"There would have been a significant number of tests conducted on both teams after that grand final and there were no players who were tested who returned positive tests for any banned substance," Ings said.

"It would have been a full screen in-competition test, which means it's not just for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs but also for a range of illicit drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine and even heroin."

He said ASADA also conducted "target testing" during the home-and-away season and the finals.

"There was a lot of target testing of the Eagles," he said.

"There was a lot of intelligence coming in from various sources that suggested this was a club where some testing should take place and target testing did indeed take place of players at that club during that period.

"Well, there were no positives that came through. There were no match-day positives for illicit drugs."

What has become evident in recent days with the release of a previously unseen 2008 report by retired Supreme Court judge William Gillard is the alleged lengths the Eagles went to, to cover-up their drug culture.

The report claimed CEO Trevor Nisbett and other club officials oversaw a six-year culture of cover-up that allowed toxic behaviour to flourish.

The Eagles will start their 2017 season on Sunday when they take on North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.