Banned Port Adelaide star Paddy Ryder has been struggling to deal with his year-long anti-doping suspension, but took comfort from being welcomed back for a night into the Power fold.
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At a time of Ryder's life when he just wants to play football, he has had to make adjustments while serving his ban from his time at Essendon when he was allegedly injected with the banned substance, thymosin beta 4, in 2012.
Power chief executive Keith Thomas said Ryder and teammate Angus Monfries, also a banned former Bomber, had handled the suspensions differently.
"They are doing their own things behind the scenes, doing the training. Angus is really well advanced. He is doing a pilot's licence, he is doing his journalism degree and finishing that off and is working with Channel Nine and Channel Seven, which is great," Thomas said.
"Paddy has been a little bit lost, so we have got him involved in our community programs.
"They are at different stages of their career. Paddy is here to play. He feels as if he hasn't contributed to the club enough yet, where with Angus it had been a few years and it probably is towards the back end of his career.
"He was planning for what comes after footy, anyway. I reckon they are in a slightly different mindset. They are working together and they will be OK."
Thomas revealed he had sought AFL permission to have Ryder and Monfries attend chairman David Koch's pre-match function before the round-six loss to Geelong.
"[It] was fantastic. I invited him them to our president's lunch," Thomas said.
"That was the first time – I got AFL approval – that we were really able to put our arms around them again. They are going OK. They are really keen to get to September so they can start training again."
Ryder and Monfries have been training in Adelaide and have "periodically" joined their banned former teammates training in Melbourne under the guidance of former Essendon assistant coach Sean Wellman and fitness chief David Buttifant.
Monfries is off contract this year and the two parties have yet to discuss a new deal.
"He is certainly intending to play and is training that way. That's a decision we will have to make later in the year," Thomas said.
The Power maintain they will not pay the players during their suspension, believing this is the Bombers' responsibility.
"We have made our position pretty clear – we are not paying either boy at the moment. I spoke to [Bombers' chief executive] Xavier Campbell about it – it's just a really complex issue with a lot of stakeholders, player managers," Thomas said.
"I just think it's going to take time. I don't think there is anything fundamentally going to hold it up, or wrong, it's just that they have to tidy all of this up."
The Bombers are working through this with the AFL, along with the compensation claims of players from the banned 34 past and current players, including action over health and safety breaches and loss of earnings.
Should the claims not go to court, the expected payouts could be between $10 million and $20 million. Personal injury law firms Holding Redlich and Slater and Gordon are handling some of the players, while prominent barrister and sports law expert Tony Nolan, QC, is representing retired Bomber Nathan Lovett-Murray.
The Bombers have said the compensation will be funded by insurance and the club.
