QLD Premier Rugby 2020

[SouthernX]

Not exactly a secret, but confirmation Tai Ford banned until 2022 for returning a positive result to detecting “anabolic agents” in June last year.

Very interesting at the timing of this drug test.

It happened during QPR season in June? Was it while Tai was training with Reds or was it when he was playing for the breakers?I know when the Reds return to clubland usually mean ASADA visits your local club grounds.

Happened last year when Higginbotham played against UQ for the Dogs.
Happened this year when Petaia played against Souths.

 

[Adam84]

it was considered an "out of competition" test

https://www.asada.gov.au/news/rugby-union-player-receives-sanction

 

[SouthernX]

27 June 2018 was a Wednesday.

That's crazy. don't believe any rugby gets played mid-week anymore. (Gone are the days of Club on weekend, Mid-Week Wednesday Test Match)

So ASADA is probably turning up to Ballymore or Bond University mid-week training session to test Tai Ford and his Reds or Bond Uni team mates?

 

[Adam84]

27 June 2018 was a Wednesday.

That's crazy. don't believe any rugby gets played mid-week anymore. (Gone are the days of Club on weekend, Mid-Week Wednesday Test Match)

So ASADA is probably turning up to Ballymore or Bond University mid-week training session to test Tai Ford and his Reds or Bond Uni team mates?

they'll turn up at his house 9pm on a Friday night if they please..

It would be a busy day for the testing agents if they were only testing on the Saturday when the games are been played, and the nature of some of the drugs and masking agents is that they can potentially disappear after a few days. So testing to a pattern(i.e only on Saturdays) can open up opportunities for players to try and cheat.

 

[legaleagle]

They have turned up the last couple of years to test Prem players during training on a weeknight and also after games on a Saturday. They generally have a list of players who they want to test. None from my experience have been contracted players, just Prem players.

 

[PhilClinton]

Out of curiosity, are they allowed to test lower grades players? Or do players these days need to sign a special waiver/agreement when they playing Premier Grade allowing testing and acknowledging use of performance enhancing drugs is illegal etc.

 

[Happyman]

Out of curiosity, are they allowed to test lower grades players? Or do players these days need to sign a special waiver/agreement when they playing Premier Grade allowing testing and acknowledging use of performance enhancing drugs is illegal etc.

My understanding is that technically all players are subject to testing from Colts 3 to Prem Grade. It also covers recreational drugs. Obviously for purely logistical reasons they hit up mostly Reds academy players and the occasional premier player.

 

[Jets]

It would be great if they tested at tournaments like the Byron bay 7's. Imagine the blood alcohol in some of those players.

 

[Bulldog]

it was considered an "out of competition" test

https://www.asada.gov.au/news/rugby-union-player-receives-sanction

Why has the player in question not been stripped of the 2018 Alec Evans medal? It would appear that he tested positive during the course of the season for which he was awarded the medal?

(27 June 2018 would have fallen within the QPR competition rounds if not definitely before the grand final)

I hope the QRU stands up and does this now that ASADA's official finding has been released - or will commercial interests stand in the way of them doing so.

He was the captain of a club side & the QC (Quade Cooper) NRC sides around this time who are both sponsored/backed by a GC University.

It not good enough for the QRU to say he was not a contracted player because Bond Uni (QPR club) & QC (Quade Cooper) both sit squarely under the auspice if the QRU and he was a member of the wider training squad at the Reds.

 

[Bulldog]

There is precedent for retrospectively awarding the best & fairest medal.

Back in the old Rothman medal day when there was a tie they awarded one medal on a count back. Many years later they awarded medals to those that missed out on a count back.

 

[Happyman]

Why has the player in question not been stripped of the 2018 Alec Evans medal? It would appear that he tested positive during the course of the season for which he was awarded the medal?

(27 June 2018 would have fallen within the QPR competition rounds if not definitely before the grand final)

I hope the QRU stands up and does this now that ASADA's official finding has been released - or will commercial interests stand in the way of them doing so.

He was the captain of a club side & the QC (Quade Cooper) NRC sides around this time who are both sponsored/backed by a GC University.

It not good enough for the QRU to say he was not a contracted player because Bond Uni (QPR club) & QC (Quade Cooper) both sit squarely under the auspice if the QRU and he was a member of the wider training squad at the Reds.

Nice moral indignation there Bulldog you seem to forget that the QPR is a amateur league and no club really has control over what the boys are doing out of hours. They all go through a ASADA training session at the start of the season and honestly I think all clubs just hope for the best. There have been stores of boys running away from training when they see ASADA turn up.

I agree on stripping the Alec Evans medal but the clubs don't have a responsibility beyond telling the boys not to be take them.

 

[Bulldog]

No moral indignation at all but I do think that the QRU should have made some form of statement even to broadcast the fact that the QPR players are tested randomly and if caught they get treated under the ASADA code.

The QPR may in the greater part be played be amateurs but there are professional & semi-professional (NRC) players involved in it.

Many people wouldn't know that the testers occasionally pop up at club games (particularly later in the season & finals) publicising the case provides a great example for what not to do.

Its the same point with the secrecy surrounding judiciary findings at club level- why?

He just has to be stripped of the AE medal - anything else is a farce.

 

[Happyman]

No moral indignation at all but I do think that the QRU should have made some form of statement even to broadcast the fact that the QPR players are tested randomly and if caught they get treated under the ASADA code.

The QPR may in the greater part be played be amateurs but there are professional & semi-professional (NRC) players involved in it.

Many people wouldn't know that the testers occasionally pop up at club games (particularly later in the season & finals) publicising the case provides a great example for what not to do.

Its the same point with the secrecy surrounding judiciary findings at club level- why?

He just has to be stripped of the AE medal - anything else is a farce.

Mate the Judiciary and dispensations are something we can all agree on. Almost every club believes they get the rough end of the pineapple. The lack of transparency is breathtaking.

The Dispensation rules are in the same boat some of the rulings against most clubs were stupefying during the finals last year. I hear Wests certainly got it in the neck.

 

[Jets]

If he was caught the year he won the medal then it should be taken away from him. It's pretty clear he cheated and had an unfair advantage over others.

I'm still surprised they don't publish weekly judiciary findings. It would keen everyone in the know.

 

[Bulldog]

Nice moral indignation there Bulldog you seem to forget that the QPR is a amateur league and no club really has control over what the boys are doing out of hours. They all go through a ASADA training session at the start of the season and honestly I think all clubs just hope for the best. There have been stores of boys running away from training when they see ASADA turn up.

I agree on stripping the Alec Evans medal but the clubs don't have a responsibility beyond telling the boys not to be take them.

Professionalism has nothing to do with it in an event. When Ben Johnson was stripped of the Olympic 100 metres Gold Medal at the Soule In 1988 they were allegedly ametuer athletes.

It is about getting an unfai advantage- it's cheating.

It should have no impact on the club - unless there is found to be a systematic regime implemented by the club - alegedly say at Essendon/Cronulla.

But in this case allegedly the club & the QRU were muzzled by RA from making comment.

RA just keeps giving to the game!!

The biggest problem with the game in this country is not the Wallabies performance but it's the administration of the game that is still caught up in the ametuer era.

 

[Bulldog]

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp...t/news-story/203b14b5e7f9b6396b29685fe9102f15

Comments from Bond Rugby Club which are considered and appropriate.

They should have been allowed to make them sooner.

 

[Happyman]

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp...t/news-story/203b14b5e7f9b6396b29685fe9102f15

Comments from Bond Rugby Club which are considered and appropriate.

They should have been allowed to make them sooner.

Paywall can you cut and paste

 

[Dark Shark]

But in this case allegedly the club & the QRU were muzzled by RA from making comment.

RA just keeps giving to the game!!

The biggest problem with the game in this country is not the Wallabies performance but it's the administration of the game that is still caught up in the ametuer era.

While I have not looked into this from RA perspective. I am aware of another sport with a similar occurrence and the National Sports Organisation had their hands tied with inability to state anything about the case by the Protocols / Agreements dictated by ASADA and WADA with testing and announcements. That sport organization also copped a roasting but when I reviewed their agreement they could not do anything else. We all have to understand these protocols before we can throw mud at RA and their position in this.

 

[Red Heavy]

Testing of prem players is not new - it’s being happening for at least 10 years and takes place on training nights and post games. Most clubs would get 4 or 5 visits year at a guess.

I would be very surprised if any player who has played more than one year of prem footy doesn’t know about it (at Uq anyway)

They used to mention the asada regulations in the fine print of the registration forms you used to sign as well as things like betting restrictions ect.

The QRU tried to do some education around both drugs and gambling 4 or 5 years ago with some on line courses that where actually pretty informative but they seemed to find getting all the prem players to fill them out an issue so it fell away.

 

[PhilClinton]

Interesting you mention that Red Heavy because I was about to say, I think gambling on games would be a bigger integrity issue at this level.

Every betting agency these days carries markets for premier grade, sometimes margin markets as well.

Performance enhancing drugs have no place in any sport. I would hope the QRU and RA are doing their part to monitor gambling and gaming trends as well.