Do you mean this quote from the media

"The independent inquiry into Cunningham's case concluded that "there was reason to believe Mike Sutherland had administered the drug to the player without his knowledge".

Sutherland was a fitness adviser employed by the RFL immediately before, and then during, both the 2001 and 2002 Test series against Australia and New Zealand. Sutherland had a similar role with St Helens until an article in the Australian rugby league magazine, Big League, alerted both teams that he did not have the qualifications he had claimed and he was sacked. Sutherland was unavailable for comment yesterday."

The RFL should have fined themselves £2500 and awarded compensation to Cunningham, maybe they funded some of the statue costs.

I reckon Bailey could possible be on "post match Bully Pills", why did he Big Up to the young saints players AFTER the game had finished. Was it because the bigger older guys might have dished out some retribution...C...O...W...A...R...D.

Good. Always struck me as strange, sticking it out of the way like that, especially given the fuss that was made over it.

why let reality ruin a good story. saddened also insists on refering to bailey's shoulder charge as a high shot-a little poetic licence always helps a story.

Can see Tony Tonks ripping the coward Bailey a new one next season.

I don't think it's appropriate to rake up an old case where only the people involved know what really happened, it's very dangerous and unfair to start apportioning blame based on hearsay. My understanding of the incident is very different from the above and i think it's best left alone on a forum like this.

Apparently Bailey spends entire games running away from any confrontations with opposition props, who are all ready to sort him out. Bizarre that he should even get a game for Leeds if he really did that. That's not exactly what a coach looks for is it? Yet Daryl Powell, Tony Smith, Brian McClennan and Brian McDermott have seen fit to pick him regularly for Leeds (not to mention Noble and McNamara at international level). Honestly, I don't know what these coaches are thinking - can't they see what's obvious to the fans?

If Australia and NZ are half as touchy as fans on here (and Wilkin), Bailey ought to be first choice prop for England, never mind likely 5th choice. No wonder McNamara wants him in the squad.

Such white knighting from the Leeds damage control crew.

Loved Fosters comments about him too.

Bailey is a bully and nothing else. Sparked out by Scully. Leathered by radford. Ran 20 meters to get away from carvell. Such a cracking record for a supposed hardman! Oh, sorry my bad. He did try a pathetic headbutt on sean long that longy laughed at

His selection in the squad is bizarre. Australia's back line would tear him to pieces. If he was actually selected against them you would see nothing of the winding up and none of the chest banging. He'd be like a kid on debut, hiding on the bench and in the centres.

His selection in the squad is far from bizarre, he is one of the form props in the competition.

Wilkins selection in the other hand ...

I'd be surprised if he played one minute in the series. He's so far behind Graham, Peacock, Carvell and Morley it's unreal.

Are you suggesting Bailey is better than the likes of Lynch, Scrutton, Mossop, LMS?

Really? That's a very naive and presumptive viewpoint. Nelson must be spinning in his grave, if we simply dismiss Trafalgar on the grounds that anyone involved must be long dead!

With the greatest of respect, hearsay and your understanding mean diddly when the facts regarding the incident are in the public domain, and are easily verifiable.

To be honest, if you can't be bothered to check your facts, then you'll be tarred with the same brush as the other muppets who constantly barf up hearsay as fact.

thats exactly what I'm saying, take away your somewhat strange irrational blinkers off and you will see Bailey has had his best season in a Rhinos shirt and fully deserves his call up. Yes I would say he isn't the first choice prop and is behind those you mention (peacock et al) in the pecking order but worthy of a place never the less.

Got to agree. He's a decent prop and does his job well. He won't be first choice for England but he'll do what's required if called upon.

It's just that other aspects of his character on and off the pitch are less than desirable. He's not the only player to be a bit of a cock, but he's getting a reputation for kicking off with kids, and never the hard men.

I'd ask Luke O'Donnell about that if I were you, providing he's still got some memory of the incident left.

I love how the Radford incident keeps getting brought up as evidence of both his supposed thuggery and cowardice.

He was face down, on the floor having been tackled, when Radford punched him from above and behind in retaliation to what he believed to be a deliberate elbow. By the time he regains his feet it's all kicked off in a mass brawl around him, and various of his team mates are trying to pull him away from getting involved (watch Brett Delaney in particular get himself between Bailey and the Hull FC players).

And yet it's Bailey that gets called all sorts for the incident, while Radford escapes any sort of criticism for a cowardly, thuggish assault on a fellow professional.

I don't need to check facts or listen to hearsay, i've heard first hand from someone that was involved. It seems you've been the naive one acting as judge and jury apportioning blame when only the lads there that night know how it really unfolded. I'm sure the lads involved want to forget about it and move on without some thre'penny bit "Brief" giving his own version of what happened and apportioning blame.

So what you've heard is effectively their version of events, slanted towards their own particular viewpoint and tainted by time since the event.

Given it was caught on CCTV, it's pretty difficult to argue that the evidence presented in court was somehow a pack of lies.

I notice you fail to mention Bailey's actions that led to O'Donnell running in? No? A cheap shot and kicking off with someone half his size? The act of a true hard man. And I hardly think he hurt O'Donnell, who didn't even lift his hands. As you allude to, in a mass brawl anything happens and while Bailey threw a glancing blow, it was more of a mass wrestle.

As for Radford (not that I brought it up), as it happens I agree. Bailey couldn't really defend himself and Radford let loose on a prone man. A pretty unsavoury incident all round.

But in other incidents, Bailey really needs to stop kicking off with kids.

Did you see the entire incident with Brown?
Bailey accidently caught Brown in the tackle, Bailey gave him a hand up but did it in a rough manner, Brown didn't like it and wouldn't let Bailey walk off to carry on with his game, so Bailey did what any prop would do and slapped him. But because this is Ryan Bailey, he was the one picking on the half back.

"accidentally", "gave him a hand up", "wouldn't let him Bailey walk off"

That's the funniest thing I've read today.



Ps. it's on youtube. You might want to watch it and retract that comical fantasy.

I think we need to challenge Bailey, is he really a Rugby League Player and has he got all these medals under false pretences:

If you look at what he has achieved effort wise on the field over the past 5 seasons against probably the top prop over the same period, he really shows up as a waster and dosn't earn his corn.

Tries: Bailey 4 Top Prop 32

Metres: Bailey 6693 Top Prop 19143

Tackles: Bailey 2118 Top Prop 3056

Tackle Busts: Bailey 114 Top Prop 198

Off Loads: Bailey 44 Top Prop 149

He only comes remotely close on the tackle count, but we all know most of these tackles will be 2nd or 3rd man in. The only stat he reigns supreme on, is his "excellent disciplinary record with the RFL"

Bailey isn't even the top prop at Leeds and no one would suggest he was - he's a key squad player and has been first choice [uinterchange[/u prop for pretty much all of his Leeds career.

All the same he's been consistently picked by 4 different coaches and won 5 championship titles under 3 of those coaches. That would clearly suggest that he's a very able SL prop but comparing him to a composite "top prop" (not even a real player FFS) makes as much sense as comparing Zak Hardaker to Greg Inglis and then deciding that on that basis he's not fit to play in SL.

You do realise that facts are by definition the truth



Also to be fair to Billyrhino he's not based anything on hearsay - rather his description above appears to be 100% in consistency with what a court of law ruled to have taken place (and I'd take that over the first hand account of someone that was involved given we're talking about something that took place on a night on the p*ss)

thats amazing



in your version does bailey also walk through that back of a wardrobe and meet a lion?

Zak Hardaker wouldn't be playing rugby at all if he was trying to get in the same team as Greg Inglis.

Back on the Bailey stats, just compared his carries 1027 against the same top prop of 2711, there are indications here that Bailey dosn,t like to mix it with the big boys one on one, has one of the worst off loads in the game which suggest its head down and not making many metres. Managed to score a try once in the last 4 years, is he really an international prop with these stats, will he go it one and one with the Aussie/NZ front rows. Or will Billy Slater be more his size. Top prop is real player by the way and not a composite.

Nice comeback - no really



It's on that well known video sharing website - just google Bailey O'Donnell - if you bother to watch it you'll see that description is pretty spot on - Bailey picks Brown up by his shirt (unnecessary but hardly a big deal) and Brown responds with a bit of handbags (shirt grab and push) so Bailey gives him a slap then just stands their until O'Donnell comes in to play the hard man and gets flattened.