They were given injection out of an esky in a corporate box. Eh nothing to be suspicious about at all! Compare that to,the extreme lengths Olympic athletes go to to make sure even the simplest flu treatment is ok. I know RL players are often not the brightest sparks but every player knows they are responsible for what they take, they star learning that at 16!

Well you where obviously there and know all the facts. I assume you have proof of the esky in the corporate box??? Too many are completely naive about drugs in sport 'the extreme lengths Olympic athletes go to to make sure even the simplest flu treatment is ok', yet plenty still get caught and banned but claim innocence.

Come off it, you seriously think a player, especially younger ones are going to question what is given to them every time. You clearly have never been around any RL environment if you do. The guys giving it to them are qualified professionals employed by the club, and you would rightly expect them to be trusted. So what do you do then, every time an injection is presented to you, you say no. Its not like the players could take them to an independent doctor to be verified. Some players may well have known, but the real problem here is the club and supplements programme that was allowed to run at the club. Again, just like at other clubs this has come up at its Stephen Dank who is the common denominator, but lets not let that get in the way of having a go at the players or labeling Gallen a drug cheat, even though none of them as far as we know have a failed a drugs test.

Its weird how the Aussie press are claiming all 17 have taken the deal, and list Paul Aiton in that. Yet Leeds claim they know nothing about it. Really do wonder what is going on with that and whether he is or isnt involved in this.

I was saying before about wada not yet involved, If asada had proper concrete evidence that the players were guilty it would have been sorted by now? just maybe they offered the players this "small penalty" to get them to own up?...and then the world drugs body can come in and give out the normal 2 year ban

That would open up legal battles that would last for years. The whole case has been a farce, from the blackest day in Australian sport to 18 months later reduced ban deals.

But Aiton hasn't been band. Or are GH and Mac just making up lies.

Even in our SG ball club the players are told what they are being given in supplements, are educated about the wada guidelines, are informed of their rights and told how to check anything prescribed to them by a dr or bought at a chemist on the asada hotline. These are 17 year old kids getting this info. If your 25 and dumb enough to be injected without asking what's in it then your stupidity/ignorance/acceptance is deserving of being labelled a drug cheat f you are found to have taken something illegal.

I would also say seeing smith has today come out and laid the blame at the clubs doorstep cronulla have got off very lightly in the sanctions imposed last year.

Yeah very good point. But in sporting arena when you can get banned for 1 or 2 years I think you would want to just make sure what was in it but it's just my opinion!

The point is, he's not had to choose because he's not been contacted over these allegations.

No bans have been enforced on anyone who didn't agree to accept a ban.

Typical aussie reply. "This country is a joke, [iwhen it comes to doing something about their sportspeople who end up being cheats!!!" [/i


The British Head of NRL Dave Smith is livid with Cronulla.

"

"But, the players, coaches, staff and administrators are on notice that we have a zero tolerance to breaches of the anti-doping policy."

Ignorance is no defence, even if it is the only accurate defence. Everyone knows it. Players, Staff. Everyone at every NRL club.

They have got off lightly. Which happens here. As I said previously. A joke.

Given Gallen was "suspended" during the RLWC should his caps be expunged and his winners medal returned?

ASADA wrote into the admissions that the players "unknowingly" took prohibited substances. As far as can be told the evidence against the players wasn't particularly strong, but the deal they were offered was simply too good to turn down, particularly with the wording enabling them to say that it wasn't their fault and the possibility of long bans following months more of not knowing the outcome.

The head of ASADA was interviewed yesterday and said that WADA had been involved every step of the way and were well aware of the offers made to players. Suggestions that WADA might come in over the top and increase the bans are probably wide of the mark.

As for Aiton, I suspect the simple issue is that the investigation has been undertaken by ASADA, an Australian agency. After well over a year they finally got round to offering deals to the Sharks within the last week. They would have no authority in the UK, so at best they'll forward the same information to their UK equivalents to make the offer to Aiton at some stage. Given the snail-like pace of these bureacracies it wouldn't surprise me if Aiton doesn't get issued with anything this season.

In fact his safest bet might be to return to Aus in the off-season and get the same offer from ASADA whilst here, then take the short ban and go back to england for the start of next year.

One I've often wondered about is Kris Radlinski in the 2002 Challenge Cup final. It is well know that he was pumped up with drugs. They were administered by legitimate doctors and it was all above board but did those injections give him an unfair advantage over other players?

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ryan-t ... 7034330157 interesting article

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ryan-t ... 7034330157 interesting article