When do drugs become performance enhancing?
Roar Guru By Justin Barrie (cosmos forever), 1 Jun 2009 The Crowd is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Alan Tongue, Canberra Raiders, drugs in sport, NRL, painkillers, Rugby League
All last week Canberra has been abuzz with the Alan Tongue wrist saga. Will he get surgery or won’t he? It’s a common scenario at this time of year as lovers of all codes, from netball to AFL sweat on the fitness of key players.
On Wednesday it was clear that Tongue was likely to be out for the season. The inspirational captain had moved from a cast to strapping and neither was helping his ability to take contact on the wrist that has been worrying him for weeks.
So I was astounded this evening when sports sites (and the Canberra Raiders Twitter account) started reporting that Tongue WAS going to play the remainder of the season and was going to do it with the use of painkillers.
Now, I love my footy – but I’m also a cycling tragic. And I got to thinking – my main sport is constantly under the hammer (quite rightly) for it’s competitors taking all manner of drugs in order to win their races. In fact many riders who get found out admit that they needed to take drugs just to keep up with the demands of race organisers and the other members of the peleton.
Now – if that is the criteria – “I take drugs in order to win or even keep up with the legitimate demands of my sport” – how are painkilers any different from EPO of CERA?
To take my Raiders example – if a bloke can go from ‘out for the season requiring surgery’ to ‘I’ll play through with the aid of injections’, how is that any different to taking EPO so that you can keep up with the peleton for 6 hours over the Alpes.
Taking painkillers to take the field in football codes isn’t only openly discussed it is often lauded as courageous. I ask – if that player wouldn’t be able to perform (or even appear) without the aid of painkilling injections – aren’t they performance enhancing.
And I ask that about cycling, footy, netball and any other sport you care to mention.
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- Alan Tongue, Canberra Raiders, drugs in sport, NRL, painkillers, Rugby League
June 1st 2009 @ 4:03pm
Brett McKay said | June 1st 2009 @ 4:03pm | Report comment
Greg, there’s two logical and obvious reasons for the non-response from Graeme Steel:
1. He didn’t come back to your article, and therefore didn’t see your question, which is highly likely, and
2. DFNZ, and by proxy WADA, don’t have a clear answer on this curly situation either, which is also highly likely, but moreso is a little worrying….
June 2nd 2009 @ 5:20pm
Greg Russell said | June 2nd 2009 @ 5:20pm | Report comment
Brett: Graeme did respond to me in a very long email (which Zac sought permission to publish, but seemingly it was not provided), however the email did not at all address the issue that is vexing us here.
Since WADA bans things with unreserved abandon, one would have to think that they do have some technical reason for not banning anaesthetic pain-killers. But what it is was not divulged.
Anyway, well done to JB (alias cf) for bringing this up as an issue. It was only a tangent to my article, and not one that I intended. It is indeed a very real issue that is deserving of its own forum.
Incidentally, I thought of this last night while watching a bit of the Raiders pummelling South Sydney, including Tongue playing to his usual exemplary standard.
My other thought is that at least it provides a belated reason for Tongue not getting a well-deserved NSW jersey. Of course last night showed that Tongue can still play, but I’d rather watch Origin with the (naive) belief that the players are needle free (sure, sure!).
June 2nd 2009 @ 5:48pm
cosmos forever said | June 2nd 2009 @ 5:48pm | Report comment
Um, Greg – Tongue and Monaghan aren’t playing for NSW because they don’t want to win – but that’s a whole other post
June 3rd 2009 @ 3:36pm
Greg Russell said | June 3rd 2009 @ 3:36pm | Report comment
cosmos: forget Tongue and Monaghan, I want Tom Learoyd-Lahrs in a NSW jumper!
This is not to belittle AT and JM, who I agree are both very good. But Learoyd-Lahrs has been something amazing to behold in recent weeks, and one can only salivate at the thought of him running at maroon jumpers …
June 3rd 2009 @ 3:51pm
Brett McKay said | June 3rd 2009 @ 3:51pm | Report comment
Greg, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that Learoyd-Lahrs might have to run IN a maroon jumper, rather than AT them. Cosmos and co might be able to confirm this, but I’m pretty sure he’s a Queenslander…
June 3rd 2009 @ 5:03pm
Cosmos Forever said | June 3rd 2009 @ 5:03pm | Report comment
Not exactly sure where he was born but def QLD first grade debut (Broncos junior). Went to Farrar Agricultural wherever that is.
And here for another couple of years – am I excited, yes I am!
http://www.raiders.com.au/default.aspx?s=nrl-player-profile-display&id=476&team=Raiders
June 3rd 2009 @ 5:58pm
Greg Russell said | June 3rd 2009 @ 5:58pm | Report comment
Definitely I heard on either Channel 9 TV or ABC radio (or both) that he’s NSW. These are usually reliable sources. In fact I think I can remember David Morrow saying he’d heard a rumour of TL-L being a NSW bolter (which did not happen).
His birth place seems to be NSW (wikipedia says Tamworth, rugbyleagueproject.org says Tweed Heads). Farrer Ag College is NSW. Most likely he made his senior club debut while at Farrer.
Then again, the case of Inglis proves that these rules can be arbitrary (according to the rules, he is NSW).
June 3rd 2009 @ 6:03pm
Working Class Rugger said | June 3rd 2009 @ 6:03pm | Report comment
Inglis is from Casino in the Northernn rivers region in NSW Far North. Close to QLD but not.
June 3rd 2009 @ 6:04pm
Working Class Rugger said | June 3rd 2009 @ 6:04pm | Report comment
sorry around Grafton. Matt King is from Casino.