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The NRL has been hit by an exodus of doctors, led by Sydney Roosters medico John Orchard, amid a raft of concerns raised during a year in which the code has been turned inside out by the ASADA investigation into alleged doping.
Orchard, the long-serving Roosters physician, is set to quit his post at the premiers, still incensed that personal trainer Sean Carolan was introduced to the club behind his back.
At least four other NRL doctors are also resigning, with some disturbed by the infiltration of sports scientists into clubs and others also fearing the potential for players to follow in the footsteps of NFL players in the United States by suing over concussions.
Carolan's sports nutrition firm Nubodi was hired last December while Orchard was overseas and a month later promptly sacked by the Roosters when the doctor returned to find that he had conducted blood tests on players.
The results of the tests by Carolan, who has another company called Advanced Peptide Solutions, were discovered on the seized phone of a person with links to organised crime and showed six players with elevated readings of the banned substance human growth hormone.
The departure of Orchard will be the most high-profile resignation but he is not alone in walking away from NRL clubs.
Newcastle doctors Peter McGeoch and Neil Halpin are leaving their positions, Paul Bloomfield is quitting St George Illawarra only a year into his move from Manly, and Don Kuah is exiting Wests Tigers.
The NRL's chief medical officer, Ron Muratore, is also understood to be frustrated at being effectively sidelined by the code's administrators during the eight-month ASADA investigation.
Kuah and Bloomfield have told Fairfax Media they are resigning for family and personal reasons while McGeoch, having spent 22 years with the Knights, is looking to reduce travel.
But there is an undertone of trepidation among the game's doctors, who discussed the issues and their futures at a day-long meeting before the grand final.
Chief among the concerns is the proliferation of sports scientists and so-called supplements and nutritional experts into clubs outside their control, and the treatment dished out to doctors David Givney and Bruce Reid at Cronulla and Essendon respectively.
Givney was sacked by the Sharks in March despite having warned coach Shane Flanagan when he heard about injections being given to players as part of sports scientist Stephen Dank's supplements program in 2011.
Reid took the AFL to the Supreme Court after being one of four Bombers officials charged over their 2012 injections program before having those charges dropped last month.
NRL medicos also fear potential legal action being taken by players who have been victims of concussion. In the US, thousands of former NFL players have sued the governing body over head injuries suffered, forcing a $765 million settlement.
''Different blokes have different reasons [for leaving],'' said one NRL doctor. ''Some are frustrated, some want to spend more time with their family, others feel sidelined, and some are worried about potential lawsuits in the future.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...#ixzz2heJ7nL8h
Orchard, the long-serving Roosters physician, is set to quit his post at the premiers, still incensed that personal trainer Sean Carolan was introduced to the club behind his back.
At least four other NRL doctors are also resigning, with some disturbed by the infiltration of sports scientists into clubs and others also fearing the potential for players to follow in the footsteps of NFL players in the United States by suing over concussions.
Carolan's sports nutrition firm Nubodi was hired last December while Orchard was overseas and a month later promptly sacked by the Roosters when the doctor returned to find that he had conducted blood tests on players.
The results of the tests by Carolan, who has another company called Advanced Peptide Solutions, were discovered on the seized phone of a person with links to organised crime and showed six players with elevated readings of the banned substance human growth hormone.
The departure of Orchard will be the most high-profile resignation but he is not alone in walking away from NRL clubs.
Newcastle doctors Peter McGeoch and Neil Halpin are leaving their positions, Paul Bloomfield is quitting St George Illawarra only a year into his move from Manly, and Don Kuah is exiting Wests Tigers.
The NRL's chief medical officer, Ron Muratore, is also understood to be frustrated at being effectively sidelined by the code's administrators during the eight-month ASADA investigation.
Kuah and Bloomfield have told Fairfax Media they are resigning for family and personal reasons while McGeoch, having spent 22 years with the Knights, is looking to reduce travel.
But there is an undertone of trepidation among the game's doctors, who discussed the issues and their futures at a day-long meeting before the grand final.
Chief among the concerns is the proliferation of sports scientists and so-called supplements and nutritional experts into clubs outside their control, and the treatment dished out to doctors David Givney and Bruce Reid at Cronulla and Essendon respectively.
Givney was sacked by the Sharks in March despite having warned coach Shane Flanagan when he heard about injections being given to players as part of sports scientist Stephen Dank's supplements program in 2011.
Reid took the AFL to the Supreme Court after being one of four Bombers officials charged over their 2012 injections program before having those charges dropped last month.
NRL medicos also fear potential legal action being taken by players who have been victims of concussion. In the US, thousands of former NFL players have sued the governing body over head injuries suffered, forcing a $765 million settlement.
''Different blokes have different reasons [for leaving],'' said one NRL doctor. ''Some are frustrated, some want to spend more time with their family, others feel sidelined, and some are worried about potential lawsuits in the future.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...#ixzz2heJ7nL8h
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