AFL and Gold Coast  investigators are set to urge under-siege players to break their bonds of mateship when interrogated over drug allegations.

Suns chief executive Andrew Travis called on the assistance of AFL counsel Andrew Dillon and, by extension, the league's integrity unit on Monday as the fallout over an alleged drug-fuelled Mad Monday celebration last year involving code-hopper Karmichael Hunt continued to resonate.

Players will be questioned over allegations Hunt provided to police as part of a sting run by the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission.

Hunt, the former Sun now battling to retain his contract with rugby's Queensland Reds, reportedly named up to six other current and past Suns players as having used cocaine during an end-of-season trip last year. There was a party on the Gold Coast and a Sunshine Coast golf trip a week later where cocaine was allegedly consumed. The Suns investigated claims of cocaine use earlier in the year, but not one player came forward and admitted use.

However, armed with Hunt's leaked testimony, a statement that his lawyer said on Monday was used to mitigate his sentencing, the AFL and the Suns are set to take a tougher line when interviews begin.

Travis suggested on Monday that investigators would deliver the players an ultimatum. "It's not always about being liked by each other," he said. "It about getting the balance between being respected and being liked. That's the challenge the players have, whether they are prepared to be transparent or they stick with wanting to protect their mates.

"Our players have proven that they've been trustworthy over a long period of time and you're talking about the majority of the group. Maybe from time to time not all players will keep the standard that we expect of them and I think that would be normal in any football club when you have 45 individuals on a playing roster."

AFL operations manager Mark Evans said the league had not been able to investigate the claims of widespread cocaine use because Queensland police had opted to not hand over sensitive information.

"We had had speculation of it in the media and we requested the Queensland authorities to provide some information – they told us they were obliged not to share that information," he said.

"Now that the information is in the public realm, we can again assist to take that direct questioning to the players. I should make it clear that we will be interviewing the players and if any information comes up around drug use, it will be treated under the illicit drug policy."

That means any player who admits to drug use would face a strike under the league's three-strikes drug code, which is currently being reviewed.

Suns captain Gary Ablett moved swiftly on Sunday to deny any involvement, even ringing in off his own volition to Melbourne radio station 3AW to express his views.

When asked about his opinion of Hunt, Evans said he could not fully answer because he had never met the former Sun. However, he added: "I think what he did do was bring a lot of attention into an emerging market and helped the Gold Coast Suns get established within that community and did some good community work. I think you will judge all the things he did across his time at the AFL and this will be a part of that."

The AFL's illicit drugs policy will again be a topic of discussion, this time at the player agents annual conference on Tuesday.

Travis recently said the Suns were below average in terms of positive drug tests among clubs, although the AFL Players Association has refused to allow the most recent results from 2014 to be publicly released.

Hunt had drug supply charges downgraded to possession and pleaded guilty to those charges in March, receiving a $2500 fine, without conviction, as well as a $30,000 fine from the Australian Rugby Union. He played 44 matches for the Suns before announcing his retirement at the end of 2014 and shifting to the Reds.

The Suns have also had issues with alcohol breaches this season.