ITV news coverage

[the pieman]

Was watching the news after my tea last night

Rugby League - Oliver Wilkes on performance enhancing drugs

They never do any form of coverage of Rugby League, whether that be a programme or news coverage.

Then just after the opening weekend of the season they decide to run an article basically implying that all rugby league players are taking performance enhancing drugs, backed up also by Jamie Acton

Is it me or is the timing of it just quite poor and designed to harm the sport after a successful opening weekend which saw some cracking viewing figures on C4.

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-02-15/i-l ... out-doping

He is also basically saying that because he took drugs he got the gig at Wigan as we contacted him a small number of games into the season (after he had done an off season on them)

[nathan_rugby]

Not ideal is it.

Not sure what Wilkes is gaining by admitting this?

[the pieman]

Not ideal is it.

Not sure what Wilkes is gaining by admitting this?

that's what i was thinking when watching it last night

both players, whilst are professional RL players (and not knocking them for that) , arent the biggest names in the game, and its almost feels as though its a my time is done, so i'll get my name into the papers by creating a stir

and to my original point, ITV never give RL any coverage, whether good or bad, and they had this on the main tea-time news and making a big thing about it.

[jaws1]

RL has stringent drugs checking and at random so no early warning your up next.RU players also have been caught out .

[the pieman]

RL has stringent drugs checking and at random so no early warning your up next.RU players also have been caught out .

i cant remember if it was Adrian Morley or Jamie Peacock who was once interviewed and said that they could be tested at anytime, with drugs testers turning up at your home. The bit around your coach telling you to disappear cos the testers are here (whilst could be true) just seems a bit of sensationalism to try and add a bit of meat to the story

The whole thing to me really does stink of ITV trying to tarnish the game after such a good weekend for C4 and creating a story for the sake of it

[southportcdm]

Sad to read a story like this but not unexpected. I'm sure that lots of us suspected that this was taking place throughout the sport in the past but I'm confident that the club wouldn't condone it. Why Wilkes has admitted it now I don't know but it makes you wonder how poor he'd have been if he hadn't cheated.

[Barney841]

There’s is doping in most sports, some people will do anything to be the best.
It’s obvious that some players dope, the sizes of some players is unreal

[the pieman]

There’s is doping in most sports, some people will do anything to be the best.
It’s obvious that some players dope, the sizes of some players is unreal

i dont think many would disagree or are naive enough to think that it doesnt happen. Probably same in relation to recreational drugs

what i didnt like is that ITV give RL no coverage and then bring this big scoop. If it would have been a big named player, i could perhaps have understood it, but most people wouldnt recognise either of them if they walked past them in the street. What it does do though is set that perception for non-rugby league fans that there is widespread doping in RL, and as i said before after a good weekend for viewing figures on C4. We make a good step forward with new TV deal / viewing figures and then ITV try to chuck a spanner into the works

[jaws1]

Followed it up tonight with Jamie Acton on Granada reports.

[Barney841]

Wouldn’t be surprised now if a few players get caught with positive tests.
The RFL will be wanting to flex there muscles to show that it won’t be accepted, also to show there doing everything they can to rub that kind of cheating out of the game.