NRL clubs admit naming in drugs in sport report
Weeks away from the NRL season, six clubs have admitted they were named in the Australian Crime Commission's report on drugs in sport shifting Australia's sporting scandal to rugby league.
Transcript
LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: The National Rugby League is just a few weeks away from its season launch, but tonight it's reeling, with almost half of its clubs named in the bombshell report by the Crime Commission into drugs in sport.
There are still few details about exactly what the allegations are or which players are involved. Today the clubs were briefed in private by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.
The shift in focus to rugby league comes as new allegations emerge about drug misuse in Aussie Rules.
Conor Duffy reports.
CONOR DUFFY, REPORTER: On the weekend rugby league celebrated what's become its feel-good season opener with a game designed to show the best it has to offer.
An Indigenous All-Stars side took on the best of the rest. They thrashed their usual club teammates.
The cross-cultural triumph has soured three days later with the focus of the drugs crisis gripping sport shifting to the NRL.
JOURNALIST: Will the game recover from what's in the reports or is it gonna tear it apart?
DAVE SMITH, CEO, AUST. RUGBY LEAGUE COMMISSION: I can't comment on the information that I've been privy to as part of a confidential briefing. What I can say is these are serious matters - and, sorry, what I've also said is - right from the outset I've said it involves multiple clubs and multiple players.
CONOR DUFFY: Facing mounting public pressure, the NRL today announced it contacted six of its clubs, the Penrith Panthers, Manly Sea Eagles, Cronulla Sharks, Newcastle Knights, Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys to inform them they're named in the Australian Crime Commission report into sports doping.
DAVE SMITH: We have information that was provided to me by the Crime Commission in a confidential briefing and the only thing I have been allowed to do is to tell the clubs involved that they have been referred to in the Crime Commission report.
CONOR DUFFY: That report mentioned one code with a number of clubs and players under suspicion. That now appears to be referring to rugby league. All clubs had interviews with anti-doping officials from ASADA today, but the details remain secret.
DAVE SMITH: I understand the frustration in terms of the clubs and fans. I absolutely understand that. We have proactively over the last two weeks demonstrated a real commitment toward the investigation by ASADA.
CONOR DUFFY: In recent years scandal has become almost as much a part of NRL season launch routine as kickoff, but the current drugs-in-sport investigation could be one of the biggest yet. It involves so many of the code's clubs across three states and may proceed until well into the season.
DAVE SMITH: Whatever comes out of the investigations, rugby league will be in a better place as a result of the information that we've gathered and the actions we subsequently take to strengthen our integrity. It will be more robust, it will be a stronger framework and I'm absolutely committed to that.
CONOR DUFFY: All of the clubs involved released statements saying they were also unable to give their fans any further information with the Manly Sea Eagles giving more detail than other clubs.
DAVID PERRY, GM, MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES (male voiceover): "We are unaware of any use of illegal performance enhancing substances by any member of the Sea Eagles squad."
CONOR DUFFY: In last night's exclusive interview on 7.30, sports scientist Steve Dank said he was given a free hand to run the Manly supplements program from 2004 to 2010.
STEVE DANK, BIOCHEMIST (Last night): Well obviously given a little bit of latitude, but I don't think I could take a lot of credit for the success. They had a wonderful coaching staff and a great playing list and had a very good captain. I mean, I think there were a lot of factors which really contributed to that success. I think I made a minor contribution and maybe helped them get the job done a little bit easier.
CONOR DUFFY: Both Dank and the club's then coach Des Hasler say it was all entirely legal, though it does go well beyond the traditional half-time oranges and water.
STEVE DANK (Last night): We used a lot of supplements, to be honest, which was no different to a lot of other clubs in terms of protein powders and vitamins and amino acids. We'd use a little bit of calf's blood there during the time, but again, that was no different to sorta what else was around and appropriate in the world of sport at the time.
CONOR DUFFY: In Melbourne some of the AFL's biggest clubs began preseason training with fans there no clearer on the murky world of sports supplements.
Today it was revealed Hawthorn premiership and all-Australian defender Trent Croad has links to companies supplying supplements. He set up a company called PharmaVentures in September last year of which he is the sole director.
Mr Croad used to work with Dr Robin Willcourt at this clinic called Epigenx in Toorak in Melbourne. Today Dr Willcourt was reassuring patients concerned about the recent publicity about sport players' use of peptides and other substances.
PATIENT: Because I nearly died when I opened the second page of the Herald Sun. Two of the drugs that I use for my treatment are their banned substances and I really want to talk to you about that 'cause it says for "Not human use" and I use them ...
CONOR DUFFY: Dr Willcourt explained that while some peptides were banned under sporting codes, they're not illegal for other uses and he believes they may have legitimate therapeutic uses.
ROBIN WILLCOURT, EPIGENX INTEGRATED MEDICINE: It's not banned from human use, it's banned from sporting.
CONOR DUFFY: Dr Willcourt said he first met Trent Croad a little over a year ago. He became a consultant and then an employee. They wanted to import an anti-ageing supplement called TA-65, but couldn't get regulatory approval. The relationship came to an end when Trent Croad left the clinic and Dr Willcourt says he's been trying to get in touch with him for months. Newspaper reports today suggested a link with an outlaw motorcycle gang.
ROBIN WILLCOURT: Well I heard that Trent had a meeting with the Comancheros and had made a sale of peptides. But I didn't believe it, I just didn't believe it because, you know, sometimes Trent's been known to exaggerate a little bit. ... I heard about it afterwards and, you know, that was like, "Oh, my God!" I made the comment one day - when I came in, I said, "We're somewhere between The Days of Our Lives and Underbelly in this office," because it just seemed to me like woah, we're getting awful close to people we don't want to get close to.
CONOR DUFFY: Trent Croad couldn't be reached for comment today.
As allegations and rumours continue to swirl around all codes, sporting chiefs continue to try and reassure fans ahead of the opening rounds of the country's biggest sporting codes.
LEIGH SALES: Conor Duffy reporting.
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