..

I'm baffled that coke isn't considered performance enhancing. It's a powerful anaesthetic and increases stamina.

You would have to do a line just before kick off though... it doesnt last that long



So I'm told

Playing devils advocate here...

If recreational drugs effect your mental state and you then take the field and cause a serious injury to a player due to the mental effects that drug has had over the time you have been taking it I guess that could be a good reason to stick to a two year ban which would (if the player stays clean) hopefully sort the players head out. Similar to why drugs and driving is a bad idea I guess.

Yes but who's shooting up right before kickoff?
Ill openly admit ive taken to a footy field right after a session on MDMA back in the day, it didn't really do me any favours.

Paul Cooke got a 3 month ban after moving to Rovers over an approach to another club.
Gareth Hock took illegal drugs and was caught to the detriment of any kids, fans that looked upto him.

Hardly the same is it

There was still enough in his system to fail the test, so presumably enough to make a system to his mental capacity?

Im not a doctor so I dont know but it takes time to work its way through your system, same as any food etc. I would have thought the effect on the brain would be long gone though tbh

RL signs upto the drugs agreement that covers all sports and as such any and all bans are fully enforced. Hock knew the risks if he got caught and he WILL SERVE THE FULL TERM .

I would go further and a second offence on or off the field for drugs offences and the player gets a sine die.

Good point and in hindsight I think the RFL should look at each persons circumstances as different. Ok this will mean a bit of inconsistency but I’m sure it’ll lead to much better out comes than the two year bans that we have in place at the moment.

I just feel that two years is a long time in such a short professional career.

At the end of the day Gareth Hock has clearly demonstrated in the press that he’s done wrong and I feel that this is lesson learnt for him. Its so easy to get into the drug Habit because I’ve seen it happen to people in front of my very eyes!

We should be helping and not punishing. There’s a fine line between the two.

Very true

As with any sport, Rugby League needs to decide if it is to punish players for cheating on the pitch or breaking the 'law of the land'. If the list of players above don't receive further retribution from the RL authorities, it would seem harsh on Hock to be punished for two years for an offence that pretty much everybody agrees was not cheating the rules of the sport

I agree that Hock is an @rse for putting his (relatively) short career in jeopardy through taking class A drugs - but he is no more of an @rse than Bailey's, Cockayne's and Walker's of this world who brawl on the streets

Just out of interest, what do the Rugby League authorities do as regards monitoring a players activities during their ban? Are they subject to testing throughout their ban, and if so what are the consequences if they fail a test during that ban?

I think as long as Rovers compensated Hull FC with the appropriate money loses then the Paul Cooke ban on the pitch was harsh. Rugby players should have the free will to play wherever the want in the world. Anything to do with off field activities should stay off field unless its something to do with taking performance enhancing drugs of course or breaking the spirit of the salary cap.

If approaching another club is against the Salary cap then god help us all. Imagine if you was unhappy in work and you started approaching other workplaces?

I think the issues surrounding Hock's ban are too much of an issue within the sport for them to be lenient with Hock.

No