Gallen & other stars in the news regarding allegations they took substances including banned peptides

AT least eight Cronulla Sharks players, including NSW State of Origin captain Paul Gallen, were in negotiations to cut a deal over alleged anti-doping violations in March, according to documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

[urlhttp://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/cronulla-sharks-captain-paul-gallen-was-in-group-of-players-locked-in-negotiations-with-government/story-fni3gol8-1226683412615[/url

These included:

* CONTRACTS being honoured during the sanction period;

* THE Sharks guaranteeing not to sack any player for breach of contract during the six-month bans;

* ONCE they serve the suspension, they will immediately be considered available for selection;

* A PERCENTAGE of the new salary cap increases for 2014;

* PLAYERS who were out of contract at the end of 2013 being given one-year extensions; and

* PLAYERS with bonus clauses or on match payments have those elements of their contracts honoured.






nice work if you can get it in the best league in the world

As it was the club and not the players fault, I believe all that to be reasonable.

TBH if the club approved the supplements and advised /told the players to take the supplements I can understand their position.

I agree with Finglas and H tbh if it is all down to the Club giving the players these supplements then the Players should get all they are requesting imo.

The only person who has any responsibility for what goes in their body is the player. End of story.

If they are too lazy/ignorant than to check that what the club is giving them isn't on the banned list, that's their problem.

Can see why they want to ensure they are not sacked by the club that gave them the supplements. AG agree to the extent that if it is someone you don't know telling you what to take or if they needed a one off treatment of some sort. However if it is the regular club staff and trainers that are prescribing the supplements then you would as a player be inclined to take that without the concern of possible illegal substances being in them.

The fault lies in between the club and the player. If the club have a medical team who advise what they should and shouldn't take then its mostly their fault. Do you expect the players to check every ingredient of every substance they take and check it against a lengthy list of banned substances? That's why the medical teams are there

Yup, I expect them to check every single ingredient.

If it was me I'd want to see what I was taking, in its original packaging, so I could check every ingredient against the WADA list before I took it.

All the literature that goes around players and clubs tells them not to take anything without checking it first. Absolving your personal responsibility by leaving it up to conditioners (who may be looking for a shortcut to stay in a job) is lazy.

I'm not sure that the BDLs who play our game at the elite level are all capable of doing that. So they will probably ask a member of staff more qualified to check it out. As long as they have done that I think the problem is with the club, if they have cleared it, if they fail to clear it, then the player is at fault

Nor does every product even list every ingredient. Andy's view is too "ideal world" and not at all realistic.

Should throw the book at them, two year ban minimum like other sports, we don't want our game to become full with drug users. Would not be surprised if Nrl was full of drug cheats

As a player, you'd trust that the supplements your employers (a professional Rugby League Club!!) give you are all above board. It's not like its some guy outside the ground handing them drinks as they walk in to the Stadium! I have no time for drugs cheats but have some sympathy for the players here.

That's pretty much my view too.
If its a drug/supplement/drink/food/medication etc supplied by the club I think it reasonable for a player to expect it to be legal. In the same way as when we go to the doctors and he/she prescribes us something we reasonably assume it is both legal and safe for us to take.