They can't really do anything if he takes the 5th though, or would they see it as bringing the game into disrepute? Anyway they should be asking Newton where he got the substance from if it's illegal.

My understanding was he tried to do things about it at Warrington but was never given the backing to do so.

I dont like the fella in many ways, but he needs crediting for his attitude and thoughts on Boots & All.

trust me he didnt

He said on the program that it was "Time for players to come Clean!".

If that's the case then why doesn't he stop being a Hypocrite and come clean himself about what he knows? Put up or Shut up!

Hmm, let me see. If you had an issue at work which could result in you being removed from work for 2 years would you:

a) Take legal advice and keep any details out of the public domain to avoid saying something which could predudice yourself and make matters worse regardless of any technicality or further investigations that actually means that you are OK
b) Blurt out to the world and potentially ruin your life

If found guilty than fair enough, a great player who represented his country and a clubs well has done something stupid.

its like the nuclear deterrent - even if one club, say Wigan, took a the moral high ground and grass 4 or 5 players in. How do they guarantee that another club, eg. Saints, are doing the same with their players?

All the clubs would be in a stand off - all not taking action until someone else did.

what backing would he need? all he had to do was ring the RFL and say get the testers down here for a "random" drug test....no-one would even need to know that he had blown the whistle.

Exactly.

he could have given the players a little warning, and if things didn't change done just that!

The league, should test every player in the comp.

First make it volountary, just a blood sample, and those who dont do it volountarly, do the hair test, only draw back with that is it would take some time to implement, so the users could just lay off untill that time, however i guess they could get the club doctor to take blood at a short notice.

With every player in the comp tested, we may loose a few but it would send a message.

Its a shame to tar them all with the same brush, as there are some players, who you just couldnt see taking anything!

Exactly. Let's be honest (but without transgressing the AUP!) we all know of certain players who were in his charge at Warrington who openly took drugs in town every weekend! For the most part, they weren't even discreet! What's more, these same players are still playing and not a single one has been banned. He is right in his comments. Unfortunately, it comes from first hand knowledge. I'm betting he won't name names though; hence the RFL 'calling him out'. They wouldn't do it if they thought for a second that he would.

and wigan have already shown their lax attitude wth hock. effectively standing by a drug user. clubs need to be punished - sky money, points etc thatd make them wake up and think about how and who they employ

IMO that's not "a lax attitude" pk.

The player has admitted that he's been a muppet and taken the (admittedly obligatory) 2 year suspension.

Now, if he can show over that 2 year period that he has stopped using, stayed clean and kept himself in good enough shape to resume his career, then we have simply left ourselves the option to re-sign him.

If, however, he slips back into the abuse cycle, then he will no doubt be left to fend for himself.

As IFL told us at the forum a couple of weeks back, no decisions have yet been made, nor will any be made until at least next month, when Hock has served 1/3 of his ban.

At that point, I would imagine that the club could start to talk to him about what he's done so far (in regard to rehab, etc.), whether he would submit to voluntary random and/or planned tests by the club/RFL and what he is doing to keep himself in shape RL-wise.

Just because a player makes the mistake of taking drugs (with the exception of performance-enhancers), I don't think that they should be ex-communicated from RL.
I fully believe that the way forward is for the player to sort himself out, and for us to both offer the support necessary to allow that to happen and to advise the player on what he needs to do to keep up in Rugby terms.

i want clubs to take responsbility in the punishment - points, cap, money deductions will mean that if another hock happened at wigan we wouldnt be in this airy fairy situation of he's a muppet but underneath it all we can change him - if he'd lost us points he'd be out on his ear which is where i think he should be.

that where i think the rfl need to go with this - turn some responsbility back on the clubs to run their own testing programmes? how about everyone gets an extra 200k on the cap with which they should do their own regular drug testing and if a player from your club gets done (either by you or rfl testing) you lose cap and points?

in terms of wigan and hock ive always said wigan should have made a stand and sent a signal. we didnt and havent which sends another message of drugs cheats/users/abusers are bad, but not that bad.

id also like to know whether hock is still being paid? either in full or as a retainer or as a renoufs wife type arrangement? if so then wigan are 100% taking a lax attitude and condoning hock. if he is unpaid then the argument becomes a matter of principal, does he deserve a 2nd chance? if hock is being paid then wigan are not just setting a bad example but you can argue are effectively condoning hock. youd never find your answer tho as IL wont answer anything he doesnt want to - which is why fans forums are like a soviet press conference without the gulag.

If I lost my driving licence due to drink driving, I would in all probability loose my job, and wouldnt get another in the field I work in.

After having completed my ban and getting my drivers licence back, do you think i should continue to be "banned" from working in my field?

No he thinks that if you took recreational drugs and got caught then you and your employer should be punished.

Apparently in RL when losing an international from the squad and potentially that player never comming back to the game it's just not enough to have the gap in the squad which must be filled by a less experienced player. For some reason the club must be punished for something that may have happened outside of the country nevermind outside of working hours. Something that the players already know what the punishment is and still manage to put their income at risk for.

For players like Newton who have a wife and kids where losing the major and possibly only income are at stake what exactly could the club do as a punishment worse than the potential to lose your financial security, house, future income etc. If the players can't see the risk to their family do we think they would care about a few point being docked?

Also with the fine/points etc, whats to stop a disgruntled player at the end of his career taking some perfromance enhancing "fat burner" and having a test to give the club he has fallen out with a kick in the teeth on the way out?

I like the Brisbane approach of appointing an indipendant agencey that they have no control over - the players can be tested 365 days a year at any time of the day and in 2007 over 800 players where tested.

Brisbane adopt a three strikes and your out policy but it is only quite recently that they have changed their approach to players that take drugs. As Wayne Bennet says there is an unwritten rule in the game that despite your off field activities if you turn up on time, train hard, play hard and are talented then you will be protected.

However i don't think that this is a problem just for rugby league but for sport generally and their will be coaches out there that simply want to get results and will be tempted to turn a blind eye to what players get up to away from the game.

At 31 and if found guilty then it would be a terribley said end to a great playing career.

But if you knew that you hadn't knowingly taken any banned substance - that is, the banned substance was in medication you took on trust from a medical person - wouldn't your indignation at being falsely accused make you want to clear matters up as soon as the opportunity arose for you to do so?

www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... ement.html He did it.

www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... ement.html He did it.

Well, I guess there's something to be said for owning up to his actions.

so go on then. tell us something useful and give us a suggestion of how to solve this issue. cos at the minute all we have is a player getting caught and his club waiting to re-employ him. what a message that sends out!!! (that is if he isnt already still employed)

It's called a second chance. Taking a drug recreationally and taking a drug for its performance enhancing capabilities are two different matters. Each case has to be treated on its own individual merit. Although i'd like the Hock situation to be cleared up, i think we need to take however long is necessary. The guy probably needs professional help and it wouldn't be very fair to kick him to the curb without giving him a some support. Sure, if he stuffs it up, then it's out the door, but that's a clause that every prospective employer would have in Hock's new contract...

my thoughts exactly, wasn't it called the monday club or something

Still dont think hock should be banned from playing rl, however newton should never be allowed to cross the threshold of a rugby club ever again! Certainly not in an employed role.

Taking performance enhancing drugs, is the lowest of the low in sports. It is impossible to prove and he wont admit it, but he should as they do in athletics, be made to payback/giveback all monies and titles that he has earned in his time on the steriods!

If that includes our challenge cup win so be it!

That may seem harsh on his team mates, but cheats should never ever ever be allowed to prosper!

According to the reports at the time of the Hock story, cocaine has a performance-enhancing metabolite. In the light of that do you still think Hock shouldn't have been banned?

saints fan cocaine DOES NOT COME UNDER PERFOMACE ENHANCING and has never been taken for performance