Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett. Picture: Waide Maguire Source: The Daily Telegraph
NEWCASTLE coach Wayne Bennett says the drugs cloud hanging over the code needs to be resolved before the season kicks off.
Bennett's Knights confirmed this morning that they are one of six clubs under investigation and believe the allegations could date back as far as 2005.
But like the other clubs involved, they have been given no other information with Bennett admitting: "We don't know what they want us to confess to".
Bennett told a press conference this morning the club would be endeavouring to meet with ASADA to find out why they have been implicated but doesn't know when that might happen.
"We are still very much in the dark," he said.
We're named, say six NRL clubs
"We've just been told we are one of the clubs and we know no more than that.
"We're happy to be part of the inquiry. That's not worrying us at all. If there's issues then we want to get them resolved but it's just the manner its all been done and the way it's been handled. It's created a fair bit of angst and frustration by everybody concerned, particularly by our club here anyway.
"They want us to confess to something but we don't know what we've got to confess to.
"Under the Hunter Sports Group regime, there is nothing to hide here. They want us to confess to something and I've been racking my head what we've got to confess to.
"I've been through all my staff, checked with all the players. Whatever they are looking for, it hasn't happened here in the last 18 months. After that I have no idea.
"The information we are getting when they arrived here last week looking for records and that, they were certainly talking about other years back as far as 2005 perhaps.
"That's what I'm saying, we've just got no idea. We have complied with everything they have asked for and will continue to do that.
"Until I know what they are looking for, it's difficult to assume anything."
Bennett said he had no idea how long the investigation would last.
"We don't even know the allegation so put all that together.I hope that the meeting is sooner than later and I hope that we can get some transparency there that we haven't been able to get and tell us what our problems are being honestly, we do not know what our problems are," he said.
"All our supplements we use here have all been approved. We don't have anybody coming to this place injecting any players. It just doesn't happen."
Bennett said the whole club was tainted by the investigation.
"I feel that so I'm sure the players feel the same," he said.
"I feel we've all be slighted by this.
"I've never seen the game cleaner. I'm not saying we are perfect. That would be ridiculous of me. But having been a long-term coach, I've seen all the periods of time we have gone through. If this was happening in the early 2000s, I'd be a lot more worried than I am today. We are a lot better educated. We drive a lot better agendas with all of this. Our athletes are much better informed."
Bennett said he hadn't spoken at length with his players about the issue.
"I don't know what they (the players) do individually but I know as a club what we do," he said.
"If there is someone out there in that group, and I'd be very surprised, that's another issue but it's not a club issue and right now, the club is the most important thing in what we drive and what we don't drive."
Bennett did make light of the situation towards the end of the conference.
Asked how many players he would be taking to Coffs Harbour for a trial against South Sydney on Saturday night, he quipped: "I don't know. I don't know how many I'll have left after we go and see the drug agency. You got to make a bit light of it. It's been ridiculous the way it's been handled and it's been terribly difficult on the club."
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