Gallen, suspended with current and former team-mates for three months, says people can make up their own mind if he is a drug cheat

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Cronulla captain Paul Gallen says people can draw their own conclusions on whether he is a drug cheat after he and nine of his current and former Sharks team-mates accepted backdated 12-month doping bans on Friday.



Gallen will miss the last three games of the NRL season and Australia’s Four Nations campaign after accepting the deal with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (Asada), which finally brought the 18-month investigation to a partial conclusion.

Along with current teammates Wade Graham, Anthony Tupou, Nathan Gardner and the soon-to-retire John Morris, Newcastle’s Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden, Gold Coast pair Luke Douglas and Albert Kelly and North Queensland centre Matthew Wright, Gallen reluctantly agreed to admit doping rather than face the prospect of a longer suspension over the club’s 2011 supplements program.



“People can have their own opinion,” NSW skipper Gallen told the Nine Network.



“Life goes on and the sun is going to come up tomorrow.



“There are plenty of people worse off than me. You’ve just got to get on with life. I’ll let people make up their own mind.



“There was a lot of different things going through my mind. The last 12 hours have been hard.



“The ballpark, the goalposts changed three or four times. It’s pretty tough but you’ve just got to get on with life.”

The NRL offered little comment on the bans.



In a statement, the game’s governing body said it “was aware that all current NRL players involved in the Asada investigation have responded to the show-cause notices issued by the authority”.



Asada was not offering much either.



“We are unable to comment on an ongoing investigation,” a spokesman told AAP.



However, confirmation of the bans could come as soon as Saturday.



Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett confirmed Smith and Snowden had accepted three-month Asada bans, to expire on November 21.



“They accepted their Asada breach notices, so Jeremy and Kade Snowden won’t be playing,” he told reporters in Newcastle.



“Under the terms of reference, they have deemed to have served a period of time, and have been given a three-month suspension and will be available some time in November ... they have to accept the situation, the reality of it all.



“Of course, it was a difficult choice ... I have no understanding of the other 15 players involved – it was when they were at Cronulla in 2011.

“It has had a huge impact right across the game,” Bennett said. “The NRL, to their credit, taking action against Cronulla, they have suspended the coach, fined the club and suspended a trainer.



“Hopefully, this is the last part of it now, Asada taking action against players, and now we can all move on.”



Cronulla boss Steve Noyce told AAP he hoped the club could move on from the saga.



“If we are coming closer to the end, that is a good thing,” he said.



“This has been the biggest decision of these players’ lives. I just hope they are OK.”



Bennett laid the blame for the whole saga on banned Sharks coach Shane Flanagan, who – with his support staff – could face further sanctions as a result of the players’ admissions to doping.



The players are said to have agreed to the bans after the World Anti-Doping Authority said it was happy with them.



English Super League players Paul Aiton and Ben Pomeroy, both members of the Sharks’ 2011 side, have rejected the bans.