BEN Cousins' manager has welcomed the AFL's assertion that players who test positive for drugs on game day could cost their team premiership points and said his client will do whatever it takes to return to football next year.

Ricky Nixon said yesterday the AFL's hardened interpretation of the drugs code was no deterrent to his star, who was deregistered last year for bringing the game into disrepute and has since admitted to struggling with a drug addiction.

"Whatever rules they want to put in place, we're here to accept them," Nixon said. "Footy is the absolute priority for Ben's rehabilitation, and if that means (the AFL) want to keep putting bridges or hurdles or whatever in the way, we're just going to keep walking over them or jumping them."

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said on Monday that a team could have a win taken away from it if there was evidence that one player who had played a significant role in that game had tested positive to drugs on match day.

This was a considerable escalation of the rules under the league's anti-doping code, which state: "If more than one player in a club is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation during a season, the club may be subject to sanctions to be determined, in their absolute discretion, by the commission." Those sanctions include overturning the result of games, among other penalties.

Cousins' bid to be re-registered as a player will be considered by the AFL Commission next month, when it will consider his medical record and efforts at rehabilitation as factors in whether he should be allowed to return to playing in the AFL.

Nixon said while one club who was previously interested in recruiting Cousins was put off by Demetriou's statement, that has not been the case elsewhere.

"Quite the opposite," he said. "I met with a club today and we discussed it and we all thought that it's actually quite an incentive to make sure that Ben complies."

Nixon said there are still two AFL clubs — believed to be St Kilda and Collingwood — in serious talks about taking on the 2005 Brownlow medallist next year.

AFL Players Association president Brendon Gale said while Demetriou's comments could be interpreted as being aimed at Cousins, it was not necessarily the case.

"I can understand why some people might draw that inference, but I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Gale said there were several players who had tested positive to whom Demetriou's statement could also apply.