Gives you a feeling of euphoria, makes you hyperactive for a while, but that's about as good as it gets. Doesn't aid decision-making, doesn't enhance performance in sport, and basically ***** you up.

i took him to be criticizing rather than disputing that fact. although i'm sure you already know that

Having an alternative point of view is all well and good, but when you have to rely on quoting out of context just to score a point, that really is a waste of everyone's time....

I didn't mean it to come across, that way, it just seems that there's not much that can be done regarding the off field stuff. You knew if a top player was released for that, another club would snap them up.

A big dilemma for the clubs, do you give up a chance of winning to show some morals?

I was merely responding to your point about drugs being a drain on resources and pointing out that these other things drain as much if not more than drugs.

i dont personally see why anyone should be banned for using social drugs. i can understand clubs terminating contracts and dismissing players but dont see why its any of the RFL's concern, other than by informing the clubs when a test is positive.

Spot on. Seems we are quite forgiving of those who are 'done' for breaking the law using violence but not so much for those using recreational drugs.

How long did for example Bailey, Latu or Pryce spend out of the game?

Hi,this is my first post and I would like to express my opinion of the alleged drug taking of Gareth Hock.If people took the time to speak to doctors and nurses about so called recreational drugs they would soon be told of the dangers of any drug i.e no drug is safe.In my opinion any one caught taking illegal drugs and is a sportsman/woman should be banned for life.I am a Trinity fan and have been since 1948.

shame your first post wasn't to express delight about wakefield trinity instead of Hocks stupidity, welcome on board anyway

'you dont even get life for murder' - paul cullen 24/06/09

Thanks for the welcome.Regarding Trinity I appoligise for not mentioning our great season apart from our slight dip in form recently hope after the superb win over Hull we can now stay on the winning path.As I have been supporting Trinity for a good number of years fortunately I can say that Ihad the pleasure of watching them through all the glory years.

Paul Cullen tonight reiterated what I commented earlier that the drug testing should be tougher and not leaving the players to take a chance.
All pro-players every 6 months with the hair follicle test (which can trace illegal substances for that period). It will stop it.There will be no chancin.

what if you shave your head weekly? will it still have the same effect?

There's not only your head.
Unless your into full body waxing.
Then you'd probably look guilt as sin !!!

This is a joke, please tell me that you are not taking the pi55 ? The reason is simple, why tarnish the good name of the sport, the club and create a bad impression for other younger players.

SPONSORSHIP ooooeeeerrrr now then, yes, I am sure we will get lots of corporate sponsorship if all our players are strung out on dope, smack, and coke ! I am sure that any parents would steer their little lockyers towards union if the players in our sport carried on without fear of discipline.

The players are young and easily led, well some of them are, and the reason most young men in society are not out there looting and carrying on is the fear of the action taken against their behaviour.

I know that if you take away accountability and responsibility then we would all decend into chaos.

I don't think anyone is advocating the use of drugs, recreational or otherwise. The point is simply that we apply double standards in sport where the use of drugs is concerned. Why should a player be damned for using one type of recreational drug, but considered "one of the lads" for using another?

As a parent, I don't want to see my son (and future Lockyer) snorting lines of coke when he's a young man either. Neither do I want to see him get tanked up and smash a wine bottle in his girlfiend's face. Neither is acceptable, or anywhere close to acceptable, but only one will see you banned from the sport by the ruling body. What kind of message is that sending out? Where are the sponsorship issues here?

I think the point is that taking recreational drugs, glassing someone in the face, beating someone up outside a night club or punching a woman in the face are all criminal acts. However the RFL are happy to let the police deal out the punishments for these activities, which take place away from the field of play, except for the ones involving recreational drugs.

Although I agree with what you are saying here, I can see St. Chunter's point.
Where do you draw the line.

If we say taking social drugs is worthy of a ban, even if not actually performance enhancing, do we ban someone when they have been caught drink driving, or even just speeding.
...........or for that matter beating some guy up on the street.

All are breaking the law at some level, why are we being choosy about what warrents a ban?

I'd say it's just as bad to have a load of drink drivers as it is to have a load of coke heads!

but I don't know where I would actually draw the line though. Some things are personal life, somethings impact work life.

They also ignore recreational drug use out of season. I know of at least 1 current Superleague player who was convicted in a Magistrates Court of being drunk and using cocaine. In or out of season they are still employed and as such ought to be accountable to their Club and the RFL. Surely the least they should expect is a charge of bringing the game into disrepute. Turning a blind eye hardly sets the right example.

I agree and don't think anyone is saying we should turn a blind eye. The thing for me is that by using cocaine the players are letting themselves and the club/fans down but that is equally true of those involved in other illegal activities as they bring the game into just as much disrepute.

But they are effectivley out of work at the time, would you be happy should you do a line on a Saturday night and then get sacked/suspended come Monday morning as a result?

I don't think having traces of cocaine in your blood stream is illegal. I'm fairly sure it is only possession of drugs that is illegal, not taking them.

The RFL are not the rule makers here, its WADA, the RFL signed up to WADA and as a result support the 2 years automatic ban for this type of Drug.

The other issues are down to the clubs re off field behaviour, thats their choice.

Drugs in sport is a big no no now, only a few short years ago you could smoke on planes, drink driving was not seen as such a bad thing, racsist jokes on prime time TV, Women got very low pay in compariuson to men, and the list goes on.

The times have changed, and I have no doubt that sooner or later any antics which bring the game into disrepute will be dealt with in a far more serious way, like in the NRL now.

After the Mitchell Sargent case, then? The WADA rules were circumvented in this case because the testing was done in-house and out of competition time. Little difference in what either player had done, though.