Leeds coach Brian McDermott has admitted that rugby league players have used drugs in the past, but he does not think that they have ever been a massive problem.
The arrival of the Tour de France in Yorkshire this weekend prompted questions to the Rhinos coach about drug usage in sport.
While McDermott insists that it would be naive to think they are not used, he also thinks that they have never been very prevalent in rugby league.
“I don’t mind saying drugs in sport has always been there,” he said.
“There has been drugs in rugby league, there have been occasions when people have taken drugs and it would be naive not to think so but I don’t think we have got a huge problem or ever have had.
“I went through the whole of my career without taking drugs and I think we are a very clean sport.”
Whatever the rights and wrongs surrounding the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in sport, McDermott has massive admiration for the Tour de France cyclists who will be pedalling across Yorkshire this weekend.
“Sport for us is 80 minutes,” the Leeds coach added.
“For them, it is three weeks, day after day after day of riding, anything between 100 and 150 kilometres every single day.
“You talk about dedication and toughness in sport, but they are crazy the cyclists – you have to be a bit crazy to do that, to have that mentality to stay on a bike and tough it out for so long.
“If you look at cyclists’ physiques, they look ill some of them. They are as fit and healthy as anything, but their bodies are conditioned to such a degree where they have changed shape completely.
“They get my utmost respect and I have been telling my kids and anybody else who will listen, if you are lucky enough to have them cycle past you, you are in good form.”
Meanwhile, McDermott is looking for his Leeds team to improve their defence this weekend in the eagerly-anticipated West Yorkshire derby with Wakefield.
“What we did at the start of the year was great but I said it would be good if we kept it up for the year,” he said.
“It was a ridiculous defensive record we had for the first 10 rounds and I knew we wouldn’t keep it up.
“We are not happy with conceding 31 points against Catalan but we’ve got to be real as well because they are a very good team.
“But we cannot continue conceding 28 and 30 points and expect to do something this year.”
Article source: http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/commonwealth-games/cwg-news/rugby-player-stuart-hogg-called-up-to-team-scotland.1404296335
Drugs in rugby league are rare claims McDermott
No comments:
Post a Comment