Official Cas statement:

Castleford Tigers can confirm that it has now received notification that Zak Hardaker has tested positive for a banned substance following a Super 8s match against Leeds Rhinos on 8th September 2017.
The club was made aware at 10:00am on Thursday morning that the player would receive official written notification from UK Anti-Doping and therefore the player was immediately suspended. Official notification was delivered on Friday and following discussions with the player on Sunday the decision was taken to announce the result of the test today in order to clarify the circumstances around Zak's omission.

Zak Hardaker, said: “I would like to apologise to my Castleford Tigers teammates, the staff and all fans for my enormous error of judgment. I was given an opportunity by this great club and in what has been one of the most important weeks in its history, I have let everyone at the club down. For that, I truly apologise,"

"Finally, I would like to make it clear that in no way did I, nor would I, ever take a substance with the intention of enhancing my performance."

Castleford Tigers will be making no further comment until the outcome of the case has been determined.

Just for having a buzzing night out, innit.

It very much sounds as though it’s a recreational drug rather than a performance enhancing drug. If it was the latter the B sample should be processed much quicker due to its enhancing effect on games after the A sample.
No sympathy for Hardaker for what suspension is coming his way he,s already received anger management for homophobic and racist rants and now he,s got drug abuse therapy on his career CV.

Another wasted career. In his career, he's now missed two World Cups and a Grand Final due to very poor decision making and assuming a 2 year ban, he's going to be 27 before he is eligible to play again.

I know Toronto has been mentioned as an option, but would he be admissable to Canada with his rap-sheet? A police record following an incident in March 15 (IIRC) and a likely drug ban for a recreational substance. Apparently there have been League 1 players who missed on a trip to Toronto for less than that.

At the end of the day he's tainted his career through his own stupidity like Chase and Adam Walker. No to blame but himself. This goes to other potential players who will get caught in the future.

Great player and a big loss to the game especially Cas, but with his checkered past I would take his apology with a pinch of salt.

All of that lost for what, feeling a bit of a buzz on a night out in Pontefract? One of the best fullbacks in the game for a long time but his career will go down as wasted. Literally.

Well when you knock around with your mates in a gym called Iron wolf you should no your not in the best place to train for a professional sports man

What difference does the name of the gym make to its suitability for a pro sportsman? Perhaps he should have found a gym called 'Model Pro' or 'Clean Living Young Men?'

Bigger picture, I have no real issue with the choice to snort a few lines on a Saturday night - and I find the arbitrary nature of which drugs are considered legal, or not, a bit confusing; but as a professional sportsman, one would assume he knows enough about how to expunge it from his system in the days that follow - and when he is likely to be tested - to avoid a positive result; so I go back to my original statement that he's just a dunce.

Feel sorry for Cas - they threw a lifeline to a lad who had caused untold trouble at a much higher profile club - and he's shat all over them, on the biggest day in their history.

He doesn't know when he will be tested. UKAD do random testing.

He'll pop up again before too long at one of the crap clubs like Hull KR, Leigh or Salford. Cas could very well stand by him, but they've got form for binning off morons, like they did Justin Carney.

Huge waste of talent. I'm going to the World Cup next month, and I'd have much preferred to see Hardaker in the England side than not. Idiot.