General NRL Drugs Thread

[Miket12]

MOD EDIT - Original thread name: NRL Clubs May Face Drugs Probe

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AN INVESTIGATION into the use of supplements by Essendon players is set to be expanded beyond AFL, with Fairfax Media told NRL clubs are also likely to face scrutiny.

The Bombers called in the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority to look into supplements given to their players but it is understood the investigation will be broadened beyond the AFL club in coming days.

It is understood up to 18 Essendon players are under scrutiny but they may be the tip of the iceberg as some officials believe the use of the supplement is widespread in the AFL and NRL.

Any athlete found to have taken performance-enhancing substances - whether knowingly or not - faces a two-year ban. While Essendon officials have not fully outlined what triggered their concerns, it is believed players were administered peptides via injections at a premises away from the club last year.

Peptides can be used to stimulate the production of naturally occurring hormones, increase muscle growth and strength, and increase the production of red blood cells to improve the blood's ability to carry oxygen.

The supplements used by Essendon have been described as being ''on the edge'', and it has been alleged players were asked to sign waiver forms before receiving an injection.

The Bombers have sacked sports science guru Steve Dank and stood down high-performance manager Dean Robinson, both of whom worked for Manly. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by either.

Dank, employed by the Sea Eagles from 2005 until 2010, was also briefly involved with Cronulla in 2011 but left after a clash with club doctor Dave Givney over players using the blood-thinning tablet Warfarin.

He came to prominence in 2008 after Fairfax Media revealed Manly players were being injected with calves' blood to hasten their recovery from injury.

Under coach Des Hasler, the Sea Eagles were pioneers of sports science and tried to keep their practices top secret but the use of Actovegin - a product containing calves' blood - leaked when a former player told staff at his new club about it.

Former Manly captain Matt Orford confirmed on Wednesday he had calves' blood injected into his muscle tissue to treat a groin injury in a bid to keep him on the field during the club's 2008 premiership-winning season, but said it ''failed''.

A source close to Hasler said while the now Canterbury coach was prepared to push the boundaries, he is a stickler for rules and a control freak who would have ensured his players were not at risk of taking illegal substances.

Manly officials told Fairfax Media after the scandal broke on Tuesday they had no concerns about the use of supplements by players while Dank was with the club, and football manager Steve Gigg said on Wednesday they would welcome any investigation. ''We would be open to any sort of inquiry,'' Gigg said. ''Steve was good for our place for a certain amount of time. He was only a part-time consultant, he was looking for full-time work and we couldn't offer that so he moved on.''

Former ASADA boss Richard Ings said the Sea Eagles had come under scrutiny during Dank's five years at the club and while the physiologist had never been found to have done anything wrong, it was clear he ''pushed the boundaries''.

''This was an era where there was lots of discussion and media coverage about substances like Actovegin and calves' blood treatment,'' Ings told FoxSports. ''It did highlight tendencies by some clubs to push the boundaries and take risks.''

While careful not to accuse Dank of any wrongdoing, Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan praised his club's medical and training staff for ending the Sharks' association with him after just a few months.

''I don't want to criticise other clubs by coming out and saying we were the smart ones but we did escape before he got his claws in,'' Flanagan told Sportal. ''We've got some things in place with our doctor and physio and they're across the medical side of things and the use of supplements. They take control of that - that's the way we run.''

Robinson spent two years at Manly before joining Geelong in 2007 and was considered an integral part of the AFL club's premiership success in 2008 - the same season the Sea Eagles beat Melbourne 40-0 in the NRL grand final.

St George Illawarra high-performance manager Andrew Gray said the Dragons had every supplement from their US supplier independently tested before being used.

https://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-clubs-may-face-drugs-probe-20130206-2dz2w.html

 

[Miket12]

As much as I dislike Hasler as a coach, I don't think he would knowingly condone the use of 'substances' that had been deemed illegal - allow the use of things where decisions had yet to be made, but not break the rules.

 

[ToiletDuck]

Seems like this guy Steve Dank is the link between the AFL and NRL here.

Geez, they're using warfarin? Apparently it promotes anaerobic capacity, news to me. No wonder players were breaking out in bruises, in a contact sport like league an anticoagulant seems counter-intuitive. Oh well, this is only going to get bigger.

More on this below...

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Stephen Dank, the sports science guru embroiled in the scandal, consulted for half a dozen NRL clubs before crossing codes.
He spent five seasons under former Manly coach Des Hasler, but his brief stint at Cronulla in 2011 is causing most concern for League bosses.
A Cronulla insider said peptides, a combination of amino-acids that promote the body's natural growth mechanisms, were offered to certain players during Dank's short tenure at the club.
Sharks players were also given the widely used blood-thinning agent warfarin to promote anaerobic capacity.

The scientist: Steve Dank is the link between AFL drug scandal and NRL clubs

The move, however, backfired when several Warfarin users suffered mysterious bruising that sounded alarm bells through the club's medical staff.
Sharks doctor David Givney last night confirmed Dank's sudden departure related to a falling-out between the pair over the proper administration of supplements.
"Stephen was only at the club for a short time in 2011," Givney said. "He and I didn't see eye-to-eye over several things and we parted ways."
Givney would not publicly respond to the claims of peptide and warfarin use. But it's understood his concerns related to a lack of knowledge about what substances Dank was giving the players.
"That's all I've been instructed to say," Givney added.

My blood injections: Former Manly star Matt Orford

Certain varieties of peptide appear on both the 2011 and 2013 WADA prohibited list.
Cronulla's coaching staff are confident no players ingested any banned substances and that the club abided by proper protocol at all times.
Last May, a Queensland-based rugby player and coach, Francis Burke, received a four-year suspension for possession and trafficking of the banned stimulant, peptide-6.
There's no suggestion that Sharks coaching staff - or that of other NRL clubs that used Dank - had full knowledge of his supplement program. The physiologist also consulted for Souths, Wests Tigers, Penrith and St George Illawarra.
But the bulk of his trail-blazing work was refined at Manly, now famous for trialling injections derived from calf's blood in 2008. Dank introduced the Sea Eagles to Actovegin, a form of cortisone.
Former skipper Matt Orford yesterday revealed he was injected on two occasions to help overcome a groin complaint ahead of the 2008 grand final.

Link at news.com.au

 

[facefacts]

I mentioned last year about Manly using gene mapping among other things to gain an any possible advantage (Cosmos magazine issue 43).

You could be forgiven for wondering what length they would be willing to go to if the practice of injecting cows blood and partially mapping their players genomes were being used.....they are of course innocent until proven otherwise.

 

[Gizzyfan]

Sort of off topic but the shit is hitting the fan over here regarding drugs and match fixing in professional sport over here. Essendon AFL are right in the middle of over a Sports Scientist called Dank who has worked with 5 NRL clubs as well. Including Manly and the Dogs, Souths was another and I think Penrith. He is accused of (at Essendon) using substances not approved for humans and players having to sign waivers and getting injections off site of club headquaters.

They say it is the biggest scandal in Aus sports history. The talkback lines are going off. Surprise surprise the match fixing is being linked to Asia and organised crime. The time zones are apparently ideal for Asian gambling. I was gobsmacked when they said $40 million had been bet on one A league soccer game. They are investigating one match fixing allegation but won't say which code.

Living over here I am not surprised because gambling is in your face all the time.

 

[Hitman82]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/8274160/Drug-use-crime-links-found-in-Australian-sport

Here's an excerpt:

A year-long government investigation has found widespread use of banned drugs in Australian professional sport and links with organised crime.
The Australian Crime Commission released the findings of a 12-month investigation into the integrity of Australian sport and the relationship between professional sporting bodies, prohibited substances and organised crime.
It said the links may have resulted in match-fixing and fraudulent manipulation of betting markets - and it was hopeful criminal charges would be laid.
The key findings of the investigation identified widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs in professional sport.
The probe includes investigations into league's containing New Zealand teams. The Warrriors, Phoenix and Breakers all compete in Australian competitions.

 

[Defence]

Danks not a sports scientist he's a fraud who gave himself all sorts if titles and qualifications that he can't even verify- just a con man.

 

[mt.wellington]

This story has been posted on this forum on the Lance Armstrong thread but here it is anyway. Starting to think he may have a point.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/cycling-is-cleaner-than-afl-nrl--ryan-20121219-2bnb3.html

Time to get every player in the NRL to piss in a cup. Lets get it all out there now and deal with it so we can move on. Last thing I want is this dark cloud raining on the parade...

 

[OMG]

Sort of off topic but the shit is hitting the fan over here regarding drugs and match fixing in professional sport over here. Essendon AFL are right in the middle of over a Sports Scientist called Dank who has worked with 5 NRL clubs as well. Including Manly and the Dogs, Souths was another and I think Penrith. He is accused of (at Essendon) using substances not approved for humans and players having to sign waivers and getting injections off site of club headquaters.

They say it is the biggest scandal in Aus sports history. The talkback lines are going off. Surprise surprise the match fixing is being linked to Asia and organised crime. The time zones are apparently ideal for Asian gambling. I was gobsmacked when they said $40 million had been bet on one A league soccer game. They are investigating one match fixing allegation but won't say which code.

Living over here I am not surprised because gambling is in your face all the time.

I mentioned that yesterday, no biters https://www.nzwarriorsfans.com/threads/warriors-2013-preview.10098/page-5#post-49777
In the Period Stephen Dank was employed, Manly appeared in 2 GFs and won a grand final by 40 points against one of the best teams of the modern era and won another using the same methods and supplements apparently..If proven they were breaching ASADA regulations, I believe they will be stripped of all their titles because ignorance is not a defence as far as ASADA is concerned, players,coaches and management can all be held responsible. Massive ramifications for a lot of players should this be proven, I don't think it could happen but suspensions of whole teams is possible if you were to enact the Australian Sports Anti Doping policies and implement their penalties...

Warriors 2011 Premiers????????Not the way we would have liked to win the Premiership that's for sure.

 

[Miket12]

This story has been posted on this forum on the Lance Armstrong thread but here it is anyway. Starting to think he may have a point.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/cycling-is-cleaner-than-afl-nrl--ryan-20121219-2bnb3.html

Time to get every player in the NRL to piss in a cup. Lets get it all out there now and deal with it so we can move on. Last thing I want is this dark cloud raining on the parade...

And time to join the other sports that require 'bio-passports' so they can monitor the players blood to see if there's any evidence of blood doping.

 

[Defence]

Ah that's what happened to that post from the signings thread- thought I must've hit cancel instead of post. it was more about Manu than dank but must've been moved here anyway. Wasn't trying to turn this into another Manu thread- I've edited it now

 

[Miket12]

Ah that's what happened to that post- thought I must've hit cancel instead of post. it was more about Manu than dank but must've been moved here anyway. Wasn't trying to turn this into another Manu thread

Yeah, sure, like we believe you

 

[OMG]

As much as I dislike Hasler as a coach, I don't think he would knowingly condone the use of 'substances' that had been deemed illegal - allow the use of things where decisions had yet to be made, but not break the rules.

It doesn't matter, Dank could have been Doctoring supplements without anyones knowledge, it would have been in his best interests if he could prove performance enhancement after Doctoring supplements with banned shit and masking agents, Hasler is still guilty by association ,the players will be guilty of taking banned substances..There is a pungent Armstrong like smell to this saga, if that guy could cheat for so long with the regimental system that cycling has, absolutely anything is possible in the oval ball codes.

 

[mt.wellington]

And time to join the other sports that require 'bio-passports' so they can monitor the players blood to see if there's any evidence of blood doping.

The only problem is thats its prohibitively expensive...

 

[Gizzyfan]

the other side of this investigation is the match fixing. A special commission in Victorian Police is being set up to investigate sports corruption in Victoria. It seems all sports, mens and womens are under the microscope on this one. There has been some pretty obvious links with organised crime just watching sports here. At the last Danny Green fight the leaders of the comancheros and bandidos were at the same table. Toby Mitchell who was also there is a OMC member was chatting with the owner of Dohertys gyms, a big gym franchise here when someone shot him. Admittedly he is a gym rat. Several top sportsmen and women from various codes apparently use those gyms.

Illicit drugs are an admitted problem in AFL, the suggestion is these drugs are given to the player and then they are blackmailed. I mean who was that muppet who deliberately gave away the penalty a couple of years ago. The Asians don't give a stuff about the purity of the game etc, all they want is profit, same as the drug guys. Anything to get an edge is the philosophy of some of these club executives. There will be blood on the floor over this.

Victorians are absolutely feral about their teams in AFL, they support their teams from cradle to grave. Essendon is being swamped by their supporters resigning their memberships. That gives some idea how deeply this is affecting the aussies.

 

[mt.wellington]

the other side of this investigation is the match fixing. A special commission in Victorian Police is being set up to investigate sports corruption in Victoria. It seems all sports, mens and womens are under the microscope on this one.

With the recent revelations about every level of soccer being infultriated and cricket with the Pakistanis who were caught red handed by a newspaper sting we havent seen anything yet, not even the tip of the iceberg is visible on this issue. We have a way to go...

I mean who was that muppet who deliberately gave away the penalty a couple of years ago.

Ryan Tandy

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...andal-court-case/story-e6frexnr-1226159949067

At the last Danny Green fight the leaders of the comancheros and bandidos were at the same table. Toby Mitchell who was also there is a OMC member was chatting with the owner of Dohertys gyms, a big gym franchise here when someone shot him. Admittedly he is a gym rat. Several top sportsmen and women from various codes apparently use those gyms.

Those idiots are small fry. As you mentioned the asian syndicates are the real big players.

 

[mt.wellington]

BTW speaking of Danny Green, remember this one a couple of years ago...

 

[mt.wellington]

NRL clubs, players under scrutiny

NRL clubs, players under scrutiny
3News NZ
Thu, 07 Feb 2013 2:21p.m.

The probe had uncovered widespread use of banned drugs in Australian sport (AAP)
By Ian McCullough
Australian Rugby League Commission chief Dave Smith has revealed NRL players and clubs are under investigation following the Australian Crime Commission's (ACC) report into the integrity of sport.

The ACC said on Thursday that the probe had uncovered widespread use of banned drugs in Australian professional sport and also links with organised crime and one possible instance of match-fixing.

The ACC's 12-month investigation, codenamed Project Aperio, focused primarily on two major sporting codes in Australia and collected incidental intelligence on others.

Smith confirmed the NRL had been working with the ACC in recent days and was determined to eradicate the wrongdoers.

"We've worked with the crime commission in the last week or so and information has come forward for NRL specifically that affects more than one player and more than one club," said Smith at a Canberra press conference where the CEOs from all the major sporting codes were present.

Smith would not elaborate on whether the information is specifically related to drug use or match-fixing.


The key findings of the investigation identified widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs in professional sport.

Smith said the NRL had appointed appointed former Federal Court judge Tony Whitlam QC to assist in the investigation process and to establish a permanent integrity unit for the code.

"We've been working with the crime commission on a range of issues that are outlined in the report," he said.

"We have already begun with ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority), we've begun the investigation."

The NRL has also committed to conduct an audit and establish a register of people supplying performance services to players and clubs.

The code also announced sanctions will be imposed on any club or player found to have concealed information in relation to a breach of the NRL anti-doping policy.

Club doctors will be ordered to review any instance where supplements, substances or other procedures may have been administered without their prior approval.

Centralised testing for illicit substances to complement existing club programmes will also be introduced.

https://www.3news.co.nz/NRL-clubs-players-under-scrutiny/tabid/415/articleID/285961/Default.aspx

 

[fanrrior]

TBH if all the clubs are doing it then I don't care. If only some of the clubs are doing it to get an advantage over those who aren't then it starts to bother me.

 

[Fenderboy]

When it comes to match fixing the clubs that gave up big early leads in games last year better be careful.........oh shit hang on a minute.....................