Cowboys in doping spotlight due to player links to previous clubs - Herald Sun

The sports scientist at the centre of doping allegations that are rocking Australian sport to its core has broken his silence maintaining his innocence involving drug administration to NRL and AFL players

More details are finally coming to light as the AFL goes into damage control with the controversy surrounding drugs in sport going into overdrive

It appears the North Queensland Cowboys - who play at Dairy Farmers Stadium - have only been dragged into the doping scandal because of player links to previous clubs. Picture: Scott Radford-Chisholm Source: Townsville Bulletin

ANTI-DOPING investigators may be interested in the Cowboys purely for a player's experiences at another NRL team before joining the North Queensland club.

The Cowboys' fury increased yesterday as it was revealed the club's only link to a drugs inquiry may be one or more players who previously played at NRL clubs which employed a sports scientist who investigators are studying.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority did not give the Cowboys any cause for concern about the current activities of any of their playing roster in a meeting yesterday attended by ASADA officials and representatives of the six NRL clubs mentioned in an Australian Crime Commission report into banned substance use.

It is believed the mention of the Cowboys may primarily refer to one or more players who once played at clubs where the sports scientist was employed.

The Courier-Mail does not make any claim of drug misuse by any Cowboys player.

No Cowboys players or support staff has to date been interviewed by drug officials and the Queensland Police are not involved.

Unlike Manly, Cronulla, Penrith and Newcastle, the Cowboys and Canberra have not had their sports science records audited by the NRL.

Cowboys chief executive Peter Jourdain said after the ASADA briefing that he was "as comfortable now as I was before the meeting" and insisted the club had done nothing wrong.

Jourdain said he was confident the club would get the green light.

"There is still quite a bit of investigation to go, but based on where I'm at at the moment, I am as confident as I can be that we will be OK," Jourdain said.

"I am very confident that we will have no issues of concern going forward.

"(The) ASADA has put together a complex web of involvement that has tentative connections with the Cowboys.

"We believe we can have this matter as it relates to us cleared up in the not-too-distant future."

Jourdain will address the Cowboys players in Townsville today after spending yesterday afternoon updating the club's board and sponsors of developments.

"I will particularly let them know the implications of how it all works so they all understand that we are all still part of the process, if you like," he said.

The ASADA did not release the names of any individual players mentioned in the report, consigning the NRL clubs to possibly several months of innuendo and uncertainty.

ARL Commission chief executive David Smith declined the opportunity to rule out a police match-fixing inquiry into rugby league.

But Manly chairman David Perry said the ASADA briefing was only concerned with the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The club bosses were addressed by two ASADA operatives.

- additional reporting Todd Balym, Josh Massoud