[url=http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=9571&type=newsNaughty Boy[/url

Didn't know they tested at youth level. Silly taking Dbol at his age tbh.

Got to admit I feel sorry for the lad, losing two years must be very hard at that age. But I do think the decision is right

He's only got himself to blame and he got what he deserves.

stupid and deserves everything he's got

It's a young age to using peds and can't recall anyone that age testing postitive for a PED.

Do you think that scrapping of the u23s might now but pressure on the 18/19yr old lads to use PEDs?

Wane had spoken about him getting his first team debut earlier this season, so it could be a factor. No excuses though, these lads know the rules and if they break them they know the consequences. Up to him now to approach these 2 years in the correct way so he can still forge a RL career for himself when the ban is up.

Think it was mentioned on SL Backchat that the clubs have the option to bring in u23s with overage allowances from next season, surely they'll admit the move to current system was wrong and vote that in.

I'm not saying it's right, I'm just suggesting that maybe a few young lads will go down that road.

Dbol is a pretty harsh drug and can cause some nasty sides. I hope he's been given proper advice and has run a good pct

Hes stupid, only has himself to blame and deserves everything he gets.

Stupid boy. I just don't get the mentality that allows them to think they're not going to get caught at some point. I don't buy into the "pressure to perform" rationale either: it's just lazy & a desire to try to short cut hard work.

Having said that, he should be offered support & not just thrown to the wolves like Terry Newton was.

Terry Newton also spoke of pressure to perform at his age was one of the factors why he took PEDs.

Wasn't Newton the first pro sportsman to test positive for HGH ?

When athletes cite pressure as a reason, all I hear is that they're not taking ultimate responsibility, ie trying to deflect blame. It's their fault & no-one else's (or did I miss a memo & we've got the old East German coaches hidden around somewhere?).

There's more than enough information now in the public domain for anyone who does this not to know it's wrong regardless of the source or the reason.

If he does forge a career in RL after his ban is up it should be somewhere other than at Wigan. We have had enough of the consequences of rehabilitating drug cheats.

He's young enough to learn, I'd have no problem if Wigan backed him providing he's got the right attitude. FWIW, Hock was never a drug "cheat", in that he never took performance enhancing drugs. What Hock did was bad, but this is worse IMO, as it is directly cheating by taking a banned substance to improve performance.

Exactly

hock was a moron who did something outside of RL that had no benefit whatsoever to his performances on the pitch (but still against the rules). what this kid has done is blatant cheating and he has got exactly what he deserves

Hopefully he will learn

Read a quote from the club, specifically Rads, stating that we would be standing by him and are currently putting together a rehabilitation schedule for him over the course of his ban.

I think most are being a bit harsh. Yes it was dumb but he is an 18 year old kid. Most of us have done many stupid things when we were 18. I won't pretend to understand the pressure and desperation to play involved at academy level and his reasons for doing what he did. Hopefully he'll learn from it and get his chance in a few years time.

That is the right way to go in my opinion.

I kind of assumed most players would be on something anyway. The testing isn't exactly rigorous in rugby league. Puglsey was probably as guilty of failing an IQ test as he was a dope test given how relatively easy it would be to circumvent what little testing there is.

Can't tell is this is just very ignorant or an attempt to get a bite.

Players get tested during and out of season and are fully aware of the supplements they can take!
The RFL educate young players throughout the season.

Really? It's a sport where physical fitness plays an enormous part and where testing is pretty easy to avoid. Do you think the clubs in the NRL are outliers here?



There were around 530 tests done last year, which equates to just under 1 test per player per year. It's hardly rigorous is it?

Obviously you're in the know Adi on these matters.
Don't you think getting tested once is good!
I mean the testers don't exactly give you an appointment hence the word random.
Players train extremely hard all year round to achieve their fitness levels.

I follow cycling a lot so sadly a knowledge of doping kinda comes with the territory. I mean Lance Armstrong was said to have been tested 70 times per year on average, yet never failed one (well, kind of). It's fairly easy to get round these things if you're of such a disposition. That's why the sport has things like the biopassport now so that irregularities in an athletes readings can stand out more.

I believe microdosing is common now as it's quicker to flush out of the system, and what remains can be diluted by drinking a lot of water.

Of course, we all hope that the sport is as clean as a whistle, but given how big and fit the players are, the financial rewards for success and the relatively lassez faire testing it wouldn't surprise me at all if more weren't doing things.