Another Kerry player fails a doping test

[Never beat the deeler]

this is what grinds my gears, lad at 35 not many years left and he cant even play club football because hes held to a higher set of rules than the other lads who are still able to play. With the Anti doping surely the ban should only apply to Inter County football/ Hurling? Gutted for the fella

A well known LoI player got 2 years for pissing off home without pissing. He failed to give a sample, 2 years, thats how seriously thay take it. He is banned from all soccer globally for 2 years. No dropping down to the pub leagues. Not insured to train .Thats how it works, they may only test at a certsin level, but if you are caught, thats you.

You can't have a situation where an open and shut steroid abuser can get caught and play away at club.

How many times did he miss a test before he got banned?

[redzone]

Surely if you were totally innocent you fight to clear your name rather than just except it because you are old.

[RedHand88]

That's all I know. I didn't actually hear which player it was but was informed it was an Ulster based player that came from a sports journalist.

The sports journalist who informs you clearly thinks you are an awful mug.

Maybe hes just really bad at Geography.

[High Fielder]

I wonder how much the Carlow lad got to be the scapegoat? A 35 year old inter County footballer (lol) retired because of a failed test. Pull the other one. Most top level sport is full of drugs. Masking agents make it all possible.

[imtommygunn]

You get banned for masking agents too though.

[High Fielder]

They couldn't even find a picture of him wearing the jersey. The pics I've seen must be at least five years old, maybe more. Whitewash

[GetOverTheBar]

this is what grinds my gears, lad at 35 not many years left and he cant even play club football because hes held to a higher set of rules than the other lads who are still able to play. With the Anti doping surely the ban should only apply to Inter County football/ Hurling? Gutted for the fella

Zero sympathy from me - no-one put a gun to his head.

The fact that it's a four year bans indicates that the powers-that-be believe that this was wholly intentional.

If Anti-doping bans only applied to Inter-County, it would effectively give a carte blanche to doping at club level.

By rights there should be drug testing at club level - protect the overwhelming vast majority of honest players from the likely tiny number of cheats.

Then again, every county team has a doctor....it's not that hard to get a TUE these days. Without knowing the ins and outs of that field I would imagine Sport Ireland have GAA players very far down their list with regards to questioning these.

The number of TUE exemptions granted in GAA for 2019 were 2.

There was a total of 44 TUEs granted (8 requests were turned down)

Rugby had 9 and soccer had 6.

Page 21 of the 2019 report

Overall there were 135 GAA players drug tested in Ireland (4th highest) - Cycling 218, Rugby 196, Athletics 154
Soccer only had 55 players tested, which seems a bit low - rowing, swimming and paralympics all had more tests done.

Ladies football had 4 tests and Camogie 4 as well.

https://www.sportireland.ie/sites/default/files/media/document/2020-04/antidoping-review-2019.pdf

By what right exactly?

[trailer]

Is it me or is the tone of the press release drafted by the GPA overly confrontational?

[Baile Brigín 2]

this is what grinds my gears, lad at 35 not many years left and he cant even play club football because hes held to a higher set of rules than the other lads who are still able to play. With the Anti doping surely the ban should only apply to Inter County football/ Hurling? Gutted for the fella

A well known LoI player got 2 years for pissing off home without pissing. He failed to give a sample, 2 years, thats how seriously thay take it. He is banned from all soccer globally for 2 years. No dropping down to the pub leagues. Not insured to train .Thats how it works, they may only test at a certsin level, but if you are caught, thats you.

You can't have a situation where an open and shut steroid abuser can get caught and play away at club.

How many times did he miss a test before he got banned?

One. Failed to provide a sample. Went home. 2 years.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Surely if you were totally innocent you fight to clear your name rather than just except it because you are old.

Expensive though.

You could be cynical and suggest he had the last word saying it was an otc medication for a stomach thing and that is that. If that is the case 4 years is outrageous and a travesty. But we will never know the actual circumstances because he is leaving it there.

[Never beat the deeler]

this is what grinds my gears, lad at 35 not many years left and he cant even play club football because hes held to a higher set of rules than the other lads who are still able to play. With the Anti doping surely the ban should only apply to Inter County football/ Hurling? Gutted for the fella

A well known LoI player got 2 years for pissing off home without pissing. He failed to give a sample, 2 years, thats how seriously thay take it. He is banned from all soccer globally for 2 years. No dropping down to the pub leagues. Not insured to train .Thats how it works, they may only test at a certsin level, but if you are caught, thats you.

You can't have a situation where an open and shut steroid abuser can get caught and play away at club.

How many times did he miss a test before he got banned?

One. Failed to provide a sample. Went home. 2 years.

I always thought you got a couple of chances before a ban. Every day is a school day

[GetOverTheBar]

Surely if you were totally innocent you fight to clear your name rather than just except it because you are old.

Expensive though.

You could be cynical and suggest he had the last word saying it was an otc medication for a stomach thing and that is that. If that is the case 4 years is outrageous and a travesty. But we will never know the actual circumstances because he is leaving it there.

Meldonium would not find its way into the human body through some kind of prescription for any kind of stomach issue though.

[tiempo]

If banned at county level should definitely be banned at club level. Can't have someone who enhanced themselves illegally going round laying it on lads in club games thereafter. Obviously in an ideal world the club lads would be tested too and I'm sure a fair few are also cheating with use of substances, but they're not being grant funded, the county lads can suck it up and should take severe punishment if caught.

If the GAA were serious about it they'd make it a stipulation that all grant funded players are tested annually and all new grant funded players are tested before they are given the coin, no point lads using the dope to get on the county panel, getting coin sitting on the bench all year, then going back to the club juiced up for club champ... its a minefield, at a base level its cheating and unethical, more importantly often its damaging to the health of these lads doing it.

The GAA has (had) the coin and should front up and take the lead, put the "Pro" sports to shame with a leading programme and transparency.

[Baile Brigín 2]

this is what grinds my gears, lad at 35 not many years left and he cant even play club football because hes held to a higher set of rules than the other lads who are still able to play. With the Anti doping surely the ban should only apply to Inter County football/ Hurling? Gutted for the fella

A well known LoI player got 2 years for pissing off home without pissing. He failed to give a sample, 2 years, thats how seriously thay take it. He is banned from all soccer globally for 2 years. No dropping down to the pub leagues. Not insured to train .Thats how it works, they may only test at a certsin level, but if you are caught, thats you.

You can't have a situation where an open and shut steroid abuser can get caught and play away at club.

How many times did he miss a test before he got banned?

One. Failed to provide a sample. Went home. 2 years.

I always thought you got a couple of chances before a ban. Every day is a school day

Same as Rio. He failed the test by failing to take the test. I think the severity was he was in the room with a bottle of water and just decided to leave.

[Baile Brigín 2]

If banned at county level should definitely be banned at club level. Can't have someone who enhanced themselves illegally going round laying it on lads in club games thereafter. Obviously in an ideal world the club lads would be tested too and I'm sure a fair few are also cheating with use of substances, but they're not being grant funded, the county lads can suck it up and should take severe punishment if caught.

If the GAA were serious about it they'd make it a stipulation that all grant funded players are tested annually and all new grant funded players are tested before they are given the coin, no point lads using the dope to get on the county panel, getting coin sitting on the bench all year, then going back to the club juiced up for club champ... its a minefield, at a base level its cheating and unethical, more importantly often its damaging to the health of these lads doing it.

The GAA has (had) the coin and should front up and take the lead, put the "Pro" sports to shame with a leading programme and transparency.

Hold up. It is banned at club level and the GAA can arrange testing at any level tomorrow if it wants. The only amateur sports people I am aware of being tested are cyclists (for obvious reasons) and NCAA (and I assume a scenario where an amateur side qualify for Europe in soccer). I think we all agree we ate nowhrre near cycling problems. So is the expense and confrontation worth it?

Sports Ireland test in professional sport, and the grants put intercounty players in that bracket.