ASADA Rooster Article in SMH

[Johnny.]

Anything I say right now will get me banned and sued by the SMH.

[The Axe]

I couldn't disagree more, the 3 articles in the SMH are well researched and well sourced. There's no sensationalised speculation and there's no slander.

If anything these articles clear us of any wrongdoing and they clear up a lot of the rumours that have been pushed by NewsLtd.

For those wondering;

Article 1 - http://www.smh.com.au/national/drugs...#ixzz2fuX9xtFf
Article 2 - http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/r...925-2uet7.html
Article 3 - http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/d...925-2ueti.html

It's great journalism and of course the DT will try to twist it every which way to sell newspapers but these are well researched and sourced articles that from my reading are pushing no agendas.

Great summary of these articles, R6. I feel the most damaging part is the Headline of "Drugs Cloud over Roosters"

[Guest]

It's nothing to worry about at the moment but really... could the timing be any worse?

[Guest]

the nrl and asada have known about this for 6 months. why the **** is it only being written about know? very convenient. cant wait to win the GF and rub everyones nose in it

[ism22]

Smh are claiming three mod our players had elevate Hgh levels after unwanted testing by a nutrition company highlighted the fact. All good low though through Asanda and clubs eyes

In perspective when I was a keen amateur athlete (had an international rank so was tested by ASADA) it was not uncommon for my HGH levels to be 'high'. Other tests would also return some pretty absurd results...

I'm no scientist but they said something about HGH coming in 'pulses' so if the test was at a certain time you'd get a big glob of HGH. For this reason a 'high' reading wasn't abnormal...

Hope the boys are alright... guessing this is just muck raking and it's common for elite athletes to have 1-off high readings on multiple scales.

Should they have told the NRL as soon as they found out? I don't know what the rules/common practice are. If there's no obligation then I'd say they are clear.

[Guest]

In perspective when I was a keen amateur athlete (had an international rank so was tested by ASADA) it was not uncommon for my HGH levels to be 'high'. Other tests would also return some pretty absurd results...

I'm no scientist but they said something about HGH coming in 'pulses' so if the test was at a certain time you'd get a big glob of HGH. For this reason a 'high' reading wasn't abnormal...

Hope the boys are alright... guessing this is just muck raking and it's common for elite athletes to have 1-off high readings on multiple scales.

Should they have told the NRL as soon as they found out? I don't know what the rules/common practice are. If there's no obligation then I'd say they are clear.

agreed hormone lvls and RBC lvls can be changed by training, diet, and time testing is done

Of all the unanswered questions raised about the Sydney Roosters' involvement with sports dietary company Nubodi, this is the one the NRL cannot ignore: how did the results of blood tests, allegedly showing elevated levels of human growth hormone in six Roosters players, find their way into the mobile phone of a prominent crime figure?

For months, those close to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigation into the use of performance-enhancing substances in rugby league have been talking about the depth and complexity of what will be revealed.

The focus on Cronulla, they say, is merely part of bigger picture; of an intricate network that extends beyond footballers, who really are minor characters in a grander stage production, even if they have reputations and entire careers to lose.
Sandor Earl.

Sandor Earl: Facebook friend of Sean Carolan. Photo: Jeffrey Chan

The most nefarious link was to organised crime.
Advertisement

It was right there, on page eight of the Australian Crime Commission's report into drugs in sport, that landed with a thud in early February.

''Professional sport in Australia is highly vulnerable to organised criminal infiltration, through legitimate business relationships with sports franchises and other associations,'' the report said.

''This is facilitated by a lack of appropriate levels of due diligence by sporting clubs and sports governing bodies when entering into business arrangements.

''There is also increasing evidence of personal relationships of concern between professional athletes and organised criminal identities and groups.''

Sportspeople have mixed with the seedy underbelly of society for a century and more. Many of them come from it, and it's where some will return.

But so far the ACC and ASADA investigation has failed to unearth - publicly at least, unlike the rest of it - any strong link to the criminal elements as suggested earlier this year. Is this the start of it?

When reports surfaced four days ago that two Roosters players were about to be interviewed by ASADA, sources at the club talked about elevated human growth hormone levels. The reason proffered was that Polynesian players naturally produce higher levels than Caucasian players.

That's something Roosters prop Martin Kennedy repeated when Fairfax Media contacted him on Wednesday.

''There are a large contingent of Polynesian players and their blood hormone level, of human growth hormone, are naturally higher,'' he said.

Kennedy is close to Sandor Earl, who is a Facebook friend of Sean Carolan, the owner of supplement provider Nubodi.

Earl - who has admitted to taking and trafficking banned peptides - will be purging his soul to Karl Stefanovic in an exclusive and paid interview on The Footy Show on Thursday night.

It was shot last Friday, and that's a shame because it would've been intriguing to know his thoughts on this information about his club, which he was a promising junior.

In the meantime, there's a grand final for the Roosters to reach.

Rookie coach Trent Robinson must somehow focus his young players on the preliminary final against Newcastle.

It's a tough ask for a first-year coach, whose brother Dean was sacked as Essendon's high-performance manager in the wake of the AFL powerhouse's supplements program.

Otherwise known as ''The Weapon'', Dean sat amongst the Roosters players during the side's gripping 4-0 win over Manly two weeks ago.

Like all the other allegations being tossed around this year, the frustration comes from not knowing what will come of it.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/crime-...#ixzz2fuksmECo

[Tommy Smith]

It's nothing to worry about at the moment but really... could the timing be any worse?

Yeah it's the timing and the defamatory headline of the first article that I don't like.

Of all the days to publish this article they choose 2 days before our Prelim?

[Spanner in the works]

Yeah it's the timing and the defamatory headline of the first article that I don't like.

Of all the days to publish this article they choose 2 days before our Prelim?

What's defamatory about it?

[The Axe]

The concern is the results being found on a known criminal's phone. How did they get there? Was Nubodi's owner, Sean Carolan involved? or his former employee, Ben Darcy? what is the former employee doing now? Have Roosters been in contact - in what context? Was it routine to test HGH as part of these tests or was it some sort of set up by organised crime?

I recall a story about Gallen's phone being confiscated - is this related in some direct/indirect way to the results being found on a known criminal's phone?

Many questions that most of us on this forum cannot answer. I hope this is all sorted out ASAP to minimise pain and to minimise damage and slurs to people's reputations.

[Tommy Smith]

Sorry I should have said borderline defamatory.

There is no drugs cloud hanging over our head. That's bullshit and sensationalist crap.

The headline paints a completely wrong impression.

[stsae]

RTS, MOA, LOD, SKD, $BW, SKD, FPN now this new bloke, HGH.

Will it ever stop with the triple barrel names???

[Guest]

RTS, MOA, LOD, SKD, $BW, SKD, FPN now this new bloke, HGH.

Will it ever stop with the triple barrel names???

I was so depressed reading this thread until now.

[TDK]

I have my doubts about that. Kate McClymont is the lead journo on this one. She broke the Dogs in 2002, broke the HSU story and broke Eddie Obeid among others. She was the journo Michael McGurk went to one week before he was murdered. She's ultra-professional, highly respected and extremely careful. I have no doubt we acted responsibly, but I do doubt McClymont has "evil" intentions.

That's why she was voted 2012 worst journalist of the year. She is a grub and sees an opportunity to get a few front page articles on the back of our great season and our high profile going into this years grand final week.

[Guest]

Regardless of who wrote the story..the main thing is no players are suggested of any wrongdoing.

[PKR]

When I first heard this I didn't know if I wanted to cry or be sick. Then I thought ..... we have a Preliminary Final this weekend and what a perfect time to derail us by releasing this sort of thing.
I'm sure it is nothing, now that I have read more