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It’s been a tough old season for Sharks fans in 2014. I imagine, for most Sharks supporters, when the buzzer sounds on their final game of the year this Saturday, there will be a sigh of relief.
The season from hell will finally be over.
Most NRL fans would feel sorry for the Sharks. To recap their season from hell, they were in contention for the wooden spoon for most of the year, are currently without a major sponsor and lost their key playmaker, Todd Carney, earlier in the year for alcohol-related stupidity.
The most devastating part of the 2014 season for the Sharks however was the continuing ASADA investigations which culminated in a number of players from the 2011 squad accepting a 12-month ban, expiring on November 21.
This resulted in a series of players being stood down from playing in the NRL immediately for the remainder of the season as long as they admitted to being drug cheats.
One of these players was Paul Gallen and the repercussions for him have been severe.
The NSWRL decided to make Paul Gallen ineligible for the Brad Fittler Medal following his suspension and his breach of the anti-doping policy. It did not end there either – Gallen is no longer in the running for the Dally M awards, where he could have taken out the rep player of the year title.
Despite all this, Gallen still remains in contention for the Rugby League Players Association award. This award is voted on by players and is arguably the most prestigious award of all, as Gallen would be recognised by his peers for his on-field performance and off-field contribution and achievement.
I’m not sure how I feel about Paul Gallen remaining in contention.
On the one hand, there is the tremendous pity I feel for the Sharks players who have been ruled out for the remainder of the season following the acceptance of the ASADA bans. While players are ultimately responsible for the substances which enter their bodies, I feel that for many players this is an extremely high standard.
It really raises questions about the relationship between players, their trainers and their coaches. The reality is that many players are signed up by clubs at a very young age. They are told what to eat, when to train, agents often do their commercial negotiations for them and they essentially place their playing futures in the hands of their coaching staff.
In this sort a scenario it is extremely difficult for a player to question their trainers and their coaches and to know exactly what is going into their bodies.
On the other hand though, rules are there and the rules were broken.
Is the Rugby League Players Association another body which should seek to penalise Gallen as well?