Nathan Buckley admits he's still in shock days after first hearing of the positive tests for clenbuterol returned by Lachlan Keeffe and Josh Thomas.
While he remains "absolutely hopeful" they will be cleared of any wrongdoing, Buckley backed Eddie McGuire's hardline stance that both will be sacked by the club if found guilty of doping.
"That's the stark reality that Josh and Lachie find themselves in," Buckley said.
"Ignorance is no excuse, but there's still plenty of information that we need to understand to get to the bottom of that."
The Magpies coach addressed the media on Tuesday morning and said that he was yet to speak to the pair, who have been provisionally suspended while they receive advice from their respective legal representatives after being notified of their positive tests by ASADA on Friday.
"They're taking advice from someone that they've employed that's looking out for 100 per cent of their interests and we understand that entirely," Buckley said, denying he felt frustrated at not having the opportunity to speak with the pair.
"We'll look to support those two boys whilst making sure that the club is represented strongly as well."
Club chief executive Gary Pert and football manager Neil Balme said on Monday that both players had professed their innocence after being notified of the positive results.
Buckley said that he didn't yet know enough about the specifics of the situation or how clenbuterol could come to be in an unwitting person's blood system to offer any explanation as to how Keeffe and Thomas ran foul of the ASADA-WADA code that polices performance-enhancing drugs.
The coach revealed his players had been given a presentation by the AFL's medical officer, Dr Peter Harcourt, outlining the league's illicit drugs policy and the ASADA-WADA code on February 10 - the same day Keeffe and Thomas were tested.
Buckley said the situation wouldn't be allowed to adversely affect the team's on-field performance this season either way - adding that he felt it would actually galvanise his group.
"We've had a couple of chats about it and clearly they're feeling for their teammates and the situation that they're in," he said.
"(They're) starting to realise the gravity and weight of that situation.
"We've spoken openly about it in so far as our responsibility to provide support to each other and to be there for each other, but there's also that pragmatic attitude in that there's not a great deal that we can do to impact on that right now.
"(But) there's plenty that we can so let's go about our business."
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