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| Party Drug Fuelled Maroons ? | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 23 2009, 01:58 PM (382 Views) | |
| arh21980 | Jul 23 2009, 01:58 PM Post #1 |
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Party drug fuelled Maroons Written by Dan Koch and Brent Read Friday, 24 July 2009 08:19 EXPLOSIVE claims have emerged from the ruins of Queensland's failed bid for a State of Origin clean sweep, with allegations some players were dabbling in a home-made party drug made by mixing a prescription sleeping tablet with the energy drink Red Bull. As the dust settled on NSW's spiteful 28-16 win at Suncorp Stadium, stories began to emerge about the party-time approach of some players in the build-up to the match. Maroons coach Mal Meninga is reportedly furious at the lack of professionalism of some of his charges and will, with team manager Steve Walters, present a full debrief on the series to Queensland Rugby League boss Ross Livermore. Despite the stern warning issued to the players following Nate Myles' disgraceful performance at a Central Coast hotel, which resulted in him being suspended by the NRL for six weeks, it has been reported a group of players caught taxis to Surfers Paradise after the Monday night team dinner and did not return to camp until the early hours of the morning. So lax was the approach of some players, it is understood the Maroons' final training session on Origin eve was a disaster as squad members struggled to shake off the effects of a week in which they burnt the candle at both ends. However, while speculation of all-night drinking sessions are hardly new to Origin football, which has long enjoyed stories of famed bonding sessions, the suggestion some players were mixing high-caffeine drink Red Bull with insomnia drug Stilnox as a party supplement is cause for alarm. Stilnox, found in the New York apartment of actor Heath Ledger when he died last year of a prescription drug overdose, has a similar effect to cocaine and other party drugs when it is combined with alcohol or energy drinks such as Red Bull. While to date officials have publicly played down rumours surrounding some of the Maroons squad, it is understood several clubs have expressed concerns about what went on. Officials from three clubs said they were aware of allegations some players were using Stilnox in the lead-up to Origin III. Inquiries by The Australian yesterday revealed the dangerous combination of Stilnox and Red Bull is in vogue with professional footballers across all codes. By combining the two, footballers avoid the adverse effects of heavy alcohol intake and escape the ramifications of a positive drug test. A representative of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority confirmed Stilnox was not on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list. President of the Queensland branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Tim Logan said taking Stilnox with alcohol or some other concoction was fraught with danger. "Because of its fairly strong (psychogenic) effects it can (be), and has been, abused by people," Logan said. "But as I said it is an extremely dangerous practice and there are numerous reports of people displaying bizarre, dangerous and even life-threatening behaviour when it is taken incorrectly or in excess or, as I said, in a manner other than the one it is designed for." NRL chief executive David Gallop said he was unaware of allegations some Queensland players had used Stilnox in the lead-up to Origin III. However, he said he was monitoring the QRL's investigation into the camp. "We have no evidence of that but understand the QRL is looking into the entire week," Gallop said. "It's not a banned substance but it's a concern for health reasons." Two years ago, in the wake of Andrew Johns' drug confession, it emerged players across the NRL were experimenting with Stilnox. At the time, it was reported the players were mixing sleeping pills with Red Bull and alcohol. However, the suggestion it occurred in the lead-up to an Origin game has the potential to leave a stain on the game. It also threatens to take some of the gloss off the Maroons' historic series win, their fourth in succession. Livermore yesterday insisted he had received no complaints from club officials and called on any with concerns to contact him. Told of the alarming claims of some players using Stilnox as a stimulant, Livermore said: "I haven't heard any of that. "Whoever you're hearing this from, tell them to ring us." ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said he was also unaware of the allegations, but he expected the QRL to report any issues that may have emanated from camp. "The only thing I can say is that I would expect the ARL would be on top of any issues with their team," Carr said. "As I haven't heard anything from them, I have no reason to think there's an issue. One way or the other it's in the hands of the QRL. We will wait to hear from them." |
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| stacey | Jul 23 2009, 02:19 PM Post #2 |
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As is typical, when there are allegations such as this, unfounded or not, then years down the track, a lot of people will only remember this series as being won by drug fuelled cheats, rather than being won by virtue of the players skills. Hopefully most will see the games for what they were, hard fought wins by a dominant maroons side. Drugs and sports aren't a good mix, whether legal or not.. |
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| arh21980 | Jul 26 2009, 11:45 PM Post #3 |
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Sponsors keeping eye on Queensland Origin probe into drug allegations By Wayne Heming July 27, 2009 Allegations of unacceptable behaviour by several Queensland players in the lead up to State of Origin III could hurt the game in the hip pocket with sponsors saying they were keeping a keen eye on investigations. The Queensland Rugby League is continuing its probe into events ahead of the series finale in Brisbane following reports of heavy drinking sessions and allegations players had taken a home-made cocktail by mixing the sleeping medication Stilnox with the high energy drink Red Bull. With many sponsors involved in rugby league already on edge following a litany of off-field incidents this year, major Origin backers including Aussie Home Loans, Harvey Norman, Fourex and AAMI said they were watching developments closely. “AAMI has been in discussion today with the Queensland Rugby League on this matter but does not comment publicly on player related matters pertaining to its sponsorship,'' the insurance giant said in a brief release. Aussie Home Loans founder John Symonds warned earlier this year any more player scandals could see him and other sponsors desert rugby league. It has also emerged that a senior Maroons player confronted teammates over their behaviour in camp, but stopped short of reporting his concerns to Queensland's team management. It is understood he made the approach on behalf of a group of concerned players during the Maroons camp on the Gold Coast before Queensland's failed bid for their first series whitewash since 1995. QRL managing director Ross Livermore spoke to coach Mal Meninga and team manager Steve Walters over the weekend about the explosive drug allegations and other incidents during the camp. “Nothing came out of those talks,'' Livermore said. “Mal can and will speak to the players involved and we've spoken to managers Steve Walters and Bob Lindner who have not been able to shed any light on things.'' However it is understood the QRL has not spoken to any Queensland player about the allegations. Furious Queensland coach Mal Meninga - who laid down down the law before and after Queensland forward Nate Myles disgraced himself by defecating in a hotel foyer earlier this month - branded some of the press reports as “scurrilous rubbish''. “I cannot believe one unsubstantiated story has appeared in a newspaper, and suddenly it becomes the biggest issue in two states and starts undoing all the hard work we have put in over the last four years,'' said Meninga. “It is scurrilous rubbish.'' However Meninga, who has a zero tolerance to any drugs, said if someone produced evidence supporting the allegations, the consequences and repercussions for any player involved would be “severe'' no matter how big his profile was. The Cowboys, meanwhile, moved quickly to kill off talk of a reported rift between their gun halfback Johnathan Thurston and coach Neil Henry amid reports they had a falling out during the Origin camp. Thurston, Henry and Cowboys chief executive Peter Parr have all played down rumours of a rift. AAP |
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| stacey | Jul 27 2009, 03:33 AM Post #4 |
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Maybe some of the more senior players should speak up early instead of letting things carry on, losing sponsors because of something like this could be pretty devastating to the game downunder, once the big sponsors are gone, there is little left, and will only encourage more players from the NRL to go north if there is even less money put into the game down here. Some of these younger players should be sat down and made to understand the ramifications of irresponsible behaviour on their part. |
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| arh21980 | Jul 27 2009, 01:56 PM Post #5 |
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Queensland rugby league urges players to come clean over Stilnox controversy By Stuart Honeysett and Brent Read July 28, 2009 Queensland officials have made a final plea to players, imploring them to reveal what they know about the Maroons' troubled State of Origin camp where several of the team were alleged to have used a dangerous home-made party drug. The Queensland Rugby League will hold a debriefing session on Tuesday with coach Mal Meninga and his management staff over the Maroons' disastrous preparations for Game III of the Origin series on July 15. QRL managing director Ross Livermore, who has already called on anyone with evidence to come forward, said that invitation extended to players who were willing to reveal details of events behind closed doors. "It's not a dob-in, it's a case of clearing the players that didn't do something," Livermore said. "Everyone is in the same boat here. "They don't have to tell us. They can tell the management if the management are inquiring into it now, couldn't they? "They could say, 'yes it is happening' but Mal and the others have got to ascertain whether it was happening. If it is happening we need to get to the bottom of it, simple as that." Livermore said he was more concerned about claims that some players had used a home-made party drug consisting of sleeping tablet Stilnox mixed with energy drink Red Bull, than he was about players breaking curfew against Meninga's wishes. Having already won a record fourth Origin series and favoured to make it a 3-0 clean sweep on their home turf at Suncorp Stadium, the Maroons were shock 28-16 losers. Meninga admitted afterwards that their build-up could have been better and it emerged that some players had broken curfew and were allegedly "noxing" - a claim that has been denied by the coaching staff and players. The Australian has revealed details of the alleged drug use last week after being told by officials from NRL clubs they were aware of some players using Stilnox in camp. More than one player also expressed concerns while in camp about the erratic behaviour of some of their teammates in the countdown to the final game. The QRL has already been told by team doctor Roy Saunders that he doesn't prescribe Stilnox to any of his patients, let alone rugby league players. Saunders said he had stopped prescribing Stilnox more than three years ago. However, Saunders admitted he was powerless to stop players bringing the sleeping drug into camp. "I don't use it, just because of the side-effects," Saunders said. "It makes people do strange things and I think the usage for it is fairly limited. I have never been a Stilnox fan." Asked whether he was aware of players combining it with Red Bull to simulate the effects of cocaine or ecstasy, Saunders said: "No, not at all. "My involvement is purely and simply with the Queensland rugby league side. I don't have NRL exposure on a week-in, week-out basis. "I know very little about it." Saunders, a long-time member of the Queensland camp, conceded he wasn't involved with the Maroons as much as he would have liked in the lead-up to Origin III due to a death in the family. "By the same token I have no prior knowledge of any of that sort of stuff," he said. Asked whether he was aware of any players bringing Stilnox into camp, Saunders said: "I wouldn't have a clue." Livermore warned that any player who had gone against the wishes of Meninga and his staff and broken the rules could still face sanctions. |
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| arh21980 | Jul 27 2009, 01:58 PM Post #6 |
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None of them will come clean because they don't want to be the bloke who dobbed-in there mate. Secondly Meninga has said that if proven true it'll be the last time that player will represent Qld. |
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| stacey | Jul 27 2009, 02:43 PM Post #7 |
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It would a brace man to speak up, but maybe it is necassary for someone to say something, given that the sponsors are threatening this that and the other. Perhaps it would be best to sacrifice a couple to save the majority. |
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| arh21980 | Jul 27 2009, 06:04 PM Post #8 |
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QRL dismisses Origin camp drug claims The Queensland Rugby League have dismissed allegations that some players used home-made party drugs during the camp leading up to the third State of Origin game in Brisbane earlier this month. However they revealed that two members of the Maroons squad had been reprimanded for being out on the drink after curfew early in the team's match preparations. Queensland coach Mal Meninga and team manager Steve Walters met with QRL managing director Ross Livermore at QRL headquarters in Brisbane on Tuesday to review the Origin series. There had been allegations that some players had mixed the prescription sleeping drug Stilnox with the high-energy drink Red Bull, providing similar effects to cocaine and ecstasy without the danger of testing positive to a banned drug. However Livermore said several players questioned about the claims made initially in The Australian newspaper last Friday had denied any knowledge of the use of drugs. Queensland team captain Darren Lockyer attended the Origin review and also gave his version of events. "Our investigations haven't found any evidence to substantiate the allegations," said Livermore. Livermore said two players had been found to have broken team curfew early on in the camp and had since been reprimanded for their actions. Livermore refused to name the players or say if their State of Origin careers had been jeopardised. A stern-faced Meninga left the meeting without commenting to reporters. He had earlier described the reports of drug use and a boozy camp as "scurrilous rubbish". Livermore said unless some further evidence was produced or someone came forward with some proof, the investigation would probably not go any further. |
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| arh21980 | Jul 28 2009, 05:15 PM Post #9 |
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Queensland Rugby League under attack for party drug investigation By Stuart Honeysett and Dan Koch July 29, 2009 The Queensland Rugby League was under attack on Tuesday for their handling of an investigation into allegations that Maroons players had dabbled with a home-made party drug in the lead up to State of Origin III. QRL managing director Ross Livermore said there was no hard evidence to substantiate the damaging claims before defending the speed and strength of the inquiry. However, he admitted the investigation, into a matter which has drawn nationwide coverage, consisted of not much more than coach Mal Meninga and team management talking to some of the players. Livermore was locked in a meeting with Meninga and team manager Steve Walters for three hours on Wednesday. Queensland captain Darren Lockyer was also called in but Livermore admitted the veteran player's views on team clothing were of more concern. "Darren sat in on the start of the meeting because we always like to get the captain's opinion regarding the camp over all and the uniforms," Livermore said. "Darren's always been a bit of a leader for the team when you are talking about the styles of the uniforms and that type of thing. So he was here for that but nothing major on the other issue." The Australian broke the story last week that several Queensland players had broken curfew while in camp and some were alleged to have used a drug made up of the sleeping tablet Stilnox combined with the high energy drink, Red Bull, to achieve an affect similar to cocaine or ecstasy. The story has created a huge storm around Australia but the QRL failed to hire anyone with professional experience to investigate the allegations. Lesser incidents this season have provoked clubs, including the Bulldogs, to hire private investigators - but not the QRL. Several NRL clubs contacted on Tuesday did not want to publicly criticise the QRL but queried how effective the inquiry could have been. The investigation was handled by Livermore who spoke to several NRL chief executives, a leading Queensland player, Meninga and other members of the coaching and management staff. Meninga, who has said any players found to have taken the dangerous concoction would not play for Queensland again, also spoke to some members of the squad. The coach was dressed casually in shorts and thongs along with Steve Walters for the debriefing in Brisbane. Both made no comment following the meeting, leaving Livermore to face the media. "We haven't been able to substantiate those claims of Stilnox or whatever it is being used in the camp at all," Livermore said. "No one's saying that it can't have happened but we can't substantiate that it has happened." Livermore said he would be disappointed if anyone had lied to him during the course of his investigation but declined to elaborate on whether he thought players had taken the dangerous concoction while in camp. "I can't voice any opinion on that because if you think if something happened, someone in there would know about it and it would have got raised," Livermore said. "I'm not hiding anything and you've just got to hope that other people aren't hiding stuff. "At the end of the day we've done everything we can and we'll just sit until we get something more. Whether you get anything is another thing." The Australian also reported that some players had snuck out following the team dinner on Monday night and headed to Surfers Paradise which affected the team's final training session on the eve of the match. However, Livermore added they had also uncovered no evidence to substantiate that any players had gone out on Monday night but they had reproached two Maroons for heading out without permission on Sunday night. "They'll be reprimanded by the coach and we'll have a look at them when the teams are picked next year," Livermore said. ARL chief executive Geoff Carr was in Singapore on Tuesday for a Rugby League International Federation meeting and said he was yet to receive a debriefing on the investigation from Livermore. |
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| arh21980 | Jul 28 2009, 05:18 PM Post #10 |
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Things are getting interesting for this, Paul Kent (I hate this bloke to) said he would name the four players if Ross Livermore asked him this was on Foxsports last night |
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| Wolfbother | Jul 28 2009, 05:33 PM Post #11 |
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QLD new sponsors for 2010.
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| stacey | Jul 28 2009, 05:41 PM Post #12 |
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It's not being allowed to die down, so sooner or later something will give, and then the shite will hit the fan.. |
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| arh21980 | Aug 1 2009, 04:08 PM Post #13 |
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IT should be remembered as the camp to end all camps - because certainly the Queensland Origin side can never afford to have one like it again. While the QRL's "investigation" into the build-up to Origin III returned little evidence of bad behaviour, the public perception of what unfolded sits somewhere between boys being boys and a full-blown drug and alcohol-fuelled rampage. The truth probably sits somewhere in between. There can be no doubt several players have done their representative futures potentially irreparable harm through their lax approach to the Suncorp Stadium "dead-rubber". At least one player is understood to have had his card stamped "never to represent again". Few Queensland fans would begrudge their champion team a few nights' celebration after achieving a historic four-peat of series wi ns. But unsubstantiated suggestions of drug taking, albeit of a legal, home-made concoction of Stilnox sleeping tablets and the energy drink Red Bull, were beyond the pale. As were allegations that derogatory comments had been made by a senior Maroons player towards an 18-year-old woman during a big night out, and suggestions some in the team intensified their drinking sessions closer to the game rather than cutting back. The QRL and Maroons coach Mal Meninga have steadfastly refused to name the worst offenders, including two players who broke a team curfew and booze ban on the Sunday night before the game. By not naming them they have sullied the reputations of 15 other innocent players and they have also allowed the perpetrators who tarnished the great Queensland Origin brand to walk away unscathed. Just how the Queensland hierarchy expects their reprimand to serve as a warning to others, when not even the club CEOs of the players involved were informed, is puzzling. Of course "bonding" sessions have long been viewed as an important part of Origin. It is argued they are an essential tool in breaking down barriers and bringing together aggressive young athletes who spend the majority of the year ripping into each other. But society's expectations have changed since Meninga's playing days. A group of drunken footballers out in public these days is seen as a menace, not an amusement. The events of the past few weeks should serve as a major wake-up call for the QRL, Meninga and his off-field team,who have combined to deliver the state success beyond its wildest expectations. The QRL remains adamant it has done everything required in its investigation into the happenings of camp three and can ultimately only act on the evidence available to it. There is a feeling within the inner sanctum that the majority of the allegations have been driven by those south of the border looking to tear down Queensland's champion team. But many fans and prominent rugby league figures have questioned the lack of digging done and the absence of an independent investigator. Rugby league in club land is working hard to clean up its battered image and the QRL's perceived lack of action has caused a storm among some of the club bosses. One said this week the QRL had "made a rod for its own back", predicting the handling of allegations of misbehaviour could serve as the wedge that drives the game towards one controlling body. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/s...003409,00.html |
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| arh21980 | Aug 1 2009, 04:26 PM Post #14 |
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Rumours from this Sundays papers A star Australian and State of Origin player (incinuated to be a QLDer) has a massive drug problem that the club and teammates know about but nothing is being done as this will ruin his teams top 8 chances. Not sure who it is, but where there's smoke there's fire. Here's a question if the player in question team wins the Grand Final and test's positive to something would that cost the team there premiership? |
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| arh21980 | Aug 2 2009, 12:00 PM Post #15 |
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Broncos, Queensland, Kangaroos player has a 'major drug problem' By Dean Ritchie, Karl deKroo and Brent Read August 03, 2009 The NRL will investigate claims a Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Australia player has a major drug problem. “"No, he is clean. I'd put my house on it."” – Bruno Cullen The Brisbane Broncos chief executive was adamant when informed of the suspect player's identity that the player was innocent. The player's club and teammates are aware of his drug problem but have failed to act for fear of a drug scandal that could further derail their finals push, The Sunday Telegraph reported. The player's behaviour has been erratic in recent months, with comparisons made to the drug problem Andrew Johns endured for 12 years. NRL chief executive David Gallop would not comment when asked whether he would ask Brisbane for the player's test results or how many times he had been tested. "I've spoken to the journalist and he has given me the name of the player and I have contacted the CEO of the club he plays for," Gallop said. "Obviously there will be some steps taken to look into the matter. "Clearly that is all I can say about the matter at this stage. "The league and clubs have random and targeted tests available for them." Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen, meanwhile, said the club's drug policy and testing procedures were stringent and regular. "We not only conduct random tests but we also target-test players," Cullen said. "We are not sounding holier than thou but we do more drug tests than any other club. "The minimum is 70 tests a year - we do 300. That is something we did before the minimum came in. "Two or three times a year we drug test the entire squad. That's 75 tests alone. "If the players have a 10-day break between games and they have been partying, we will test up to a dozen of them when they return to training." Cullen said the tests were carried out by an independent company, and that his club did not interfere in the results. "We don't influence them," he said. Told of the player's identity, Cullen said: "No, he is clean. I'd put my house on it. He is tested regularly." Under NRL regulations, league officials have the power to target-test players believed to be using recreational drugs. The game also has a comprehensive in-house testing regime that involves all its clubs. The NRL's two-strikes policy caters for anonymity should a player fail an initial test, but a second positive result allows for the player to be named and shamed. The player then receives an automatic 12-match suspension, although the club also has the option to terminate the player's contract. Clubs are required to do a minimum number of tests each season, but some clubs have introduced their own procedures, which are more stringent. Brisbane have a 24-7 testing regime while Gold Coast Titans have adopted a one-strike policy, meaning that any Titans player who returns a positive test is sacked immediately. The NRL in-house policy operates on condition of strict anonymity. Unlike the AFL, the NRL provides no evidence of the number of tests conducted by clubs or the number of positive results returned each year. As such, the only players to fail drug tests and be named this season have been those caught in the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency web. The highest-profile of those players was Cronulla's Reni Maitua, who received a two-year ban for returning a positive test to clenbuterol. The latest allegations are understood to involve a player who has been regularly tested in recent years, and who has never returned a positive result. That aside, the allegations have the potential to cause major disruption for the NRL in the lead-up to the finals. The latest drama to hit the NRL comes as the game recovers from allegations that some Queensland players consumed a mixture of Stilnox and Red Bull in the lead-up to Origin III, a cocktail that simulates the effects of cocaine or ecstasy. The Queensland Rugby League has been heavily criticised for its farcical investigation into the claims. The Australian Rugby League will today receive a copy of the QRL report into the Maroons' Origin III camp. The ARL has reserved its judgment on the issue pending a review of the QRL's investigation into allegations players dabbled with Stilnox and drank excessively in the lead-up to their loss to NSW in the third and final game in Brisbane. The QRL has already confirmed that two players breached curfew while in camp, and were subsequently reprimanded, but the QRL has been criticised for its lackadaisical attitude to the investigation, which soured the Maroons' historic fourth consecutive series win |
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