Delisted Collingwood pair Lachlan Keeffe and Josh Thomas have been formally advised of the length of the AFL bans after pleading guilty to a breach of the competitions anti-doping code.

The pair accepted the maximum two-year sanction and will be banned from AFL competition until 9 February, 2017, Collingwood announced via a statement on Wednesday.

Keeffe and Thomas were issued with infraction notices in July and were delisted by the Magpies last week.

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The duo tested positive in February to clenbuterol – which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency but is not a specified substance on the AFL’s prohibited list – and have been provisionally suspended since March.

Key-position player Keeffe, 25, has played 40 matches for the Magpies, including 18 in 2014.

Thomas, 23, has played 32 games for Collingwood after debuting in 2013.