Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:09 pm  

Superted wrote:

Gotcha raises an interesting and pertinent point - there's plenty of them at it and he's just the unlucky one to get caught is how many of his teammates feel.

Coke use is rife in all forms of the game, to the point it's normal, it's not even a taboo subject, it just openly happens. The clubs have nutritionalists who teach the players how to cleanse their system (which makes him even more stupid that he got caught).

I seriously doubt there would be many players who'd not welcome a coke offender into their team, because they know there's at least another dozen in the team who regularly do coke anyway.

He's not unlucky to get caught as you point out they know how to get it out of their systems in time and he obviously didn't.

And most players would allow a coke offender into their club but this isn't a case of a guy getting caught at some other club in regards to the Cas team. It's like the Ferres and Carney teammates wife's situation, yes another club will be fine having them but they've burnt their bridges at that particular club.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:12 pm  

Gotcha wrote:

I have not said bad luck, not in the slightest. Stupid boys doing stupid things, their own problem. I am just saying somebody else picked for sample, and somebody elses problem.

Another player will have given a sample that night, maybe they weren't lazy enough to not get it out of their system.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:32 pm  

I guarantee if most professional rugby and football players were tested on Monday morning instead of a Friday or Saturday night after a game, a fair chunk of them wouldn't pass the test.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:38 pm  

Charlie Sheen wrote:

I guarantee if most professional rugby and football players were tested on Monday morning instead of a Friday or Saturday night after a game, a fair chunk of them wouldn't pass the test.

I think they are tested by SL, but if you are caught you only get a caution for your first offence, I wonder how many Leeds players have been given a caution?

Re: OUT 2017 | Zak Hardaker - Castleford Tigers : Thu Nov 16, 2017 5:37 pm  

I've seen a few Leeds players take it in Space in the past. It's as common now as boozing was in the 80s and 90s

Re: OUT 2017 | Zak Hardaker - Castleford Tigers : Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:01 pm  

Charlie Sheen wrote:

I've seen a few Leeds players take it in Space in the past. It's as common now as boozing was in the 80s and 90s

And the thing is, a night on the gear has a much less detrimental effect on a players physical fitness levels and ability to train/play in the days following a session, hence the clubs having a fairly tolerant approach to it. Whilst they'd clearly prefer tea total, anti-drug players, in reality, the clubs would rather their players have a night on the gear (provided they don't get caught) than on the drink.

Re: OUT 2017 | Zak Hardaker - Castleford Tigers : Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:19 pm  

Superted wrote:

And the thing is, a night on the gear has a much less detrimental effect on a players physical fitness levels and ability to train/play in the days following a session, hence the clubs having a fairly tolerant approach to it. Whilst they'd clearly prefer tea total, anti-drug players, in reality, the clubs would rather their players have a night on the gear (provided they don't get caught) than on the drink.

I don’t believe for one second that clubs have a fairly tolerant view of their players doing it, potentially getting caught and, potentially, receiving a 2-4 year ban, plus the negative headlines etc. There’s a hell of a lot of assumptions going on here.

I’m not judging anybody who does it, I myself may have done / do it. Buts let’s not pretend just because you / your friends do it, everybody does it

Re: OUT 2017 | Zak Hardaker - Castleford Tigers : Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:37 pm  

Charlie Sheen wrote:

I've seen a few Leeds players take it in Space in the past. It's as common now as boozing was in the 80s and 90s

Oh I'm sure you could make a fairly decent starting 13 out of players that do it.

I, you and a few others could name a few guys we've seen do it but obviously we can't on here.

Re: OUT 2017 | Zak Hardaker - Castleford Tigers : Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:33 am  

Les Norton wrote:

I don’t believe for one second that clubs have a fairly tolerant view of their players doing it, potentially getting caught and, potentially, receiving a 2-4 year ban, plus the negative headlines etc. There’s a hell of a lot of assumptions going on here.

I’m not judging anybody who does it, I myself may have done / do it. Buts let’s not pretend just because you / your friends do it, everybody does it

Ive said before that I dont care what players do off the pitch as long as they perform

If a player does it on a Friday and we dont have a game for a week, at worst he could get tested at training and be cautioned, not sure what the punishment is for second offenders, but its 12 weeks in NRL, I can see clubs being tolerant to a player being cautioned but if they were banned they would care a lot more

Getting slightly more back on topic, I kinda hope Zak just gets 6 months, which from the start of his ban would only take him to about April, its a dumb rule and I dont believe for a second that he or any other player would attempt to take cocaine as a performance enhancing drug

Re: OUT 2017 | Zak Hardaker - Castleford Tigers : Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:36 am  

On a tangent, how did Maradona not get banned for cocaine when he has admitted that whilst playing for Napoli he would take cocaine every night (along with a full bottle of whiskey for good measure)?

Did they not test for it back then?

Before someone says it, at the 94 world cup he was banned for ephedrine, not cocaine.