Suspended Cronulla Sharks youngster Bronson Xerri faces the NRL Appeals Tribunal before Christmas over his doping ban, but it will be weeks before his fate is decided.
Key points:
- Cronulla’s Bronson Xerri was suspended in May 2020 for allegedly using and possessing anabolic steroids
- He is appealing a four-year ban — the same penalty former NRL star Sandor Earl received for performance enhancing drugs offences in 2013
- Earl returned to the NRL with Melbourne in 2018 and says his time away from the game made him determined to play again
The Cronulla club has continued paying his wage but the Sharks, who still bear the scars of their 2014 doping scandal, will be desperate to move on.
The 19-year-old had the world at his feet during his debut 2019 NRL season.
He was the Shark’s rising star, finished as the league’s 12th-highest try scorer with 13 (from 22 games) including a hat-trick against the Dragons in round 25 and a double the next week.
That dream start came crashing down when he was suspended in May 2020 for allegedly using and possessing anabolic steroids (testosterone, androsterone, etiocholanolone and 5b-androstane-3a,17b-diol).
Xerri is challenging the four-year-ban he is facing.
Melbourne Storm winger Sandor Earl faced the same fate when he was 22 years old while at the Canberra Raiders.
Earl was banned for four years for using and trafficking a performance-enhancing drug in 2013, before returning to the game with the Storm in 2018.
He says the public backlash was the most difficult part.
“That was way harder than the final verdict or the decision to end my career — coming forward and going through that (doping) process — that whole period was a lot harder,” the recently-retired Earl said.
Earl, now 31, empathises with Xerri, but is urging others not to go down the same path.
“There’s no doubt the pressure on young athletes, you really want to succeed and he (Bronson) was probably in a position where he was trying to be the best athlete he can — coming under injury clouds, that sets you back, it’s tough but no athlete should put themselves in that position,” he said.
Earl is one of the few to pull off a comeback.
“Rugby league is all-consuming and a lot of sacrifice, it’s important to have a good balance, close relationships outside of the football bubble, explore your interests, find something you love,” he said.
During Xerri’s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery he was tested after a tip-off and returned positive A and B samples.
“For Bronson it’s a tough period in his life, once he gets through this moment he can rip the band-aid [off] and move on with his life and there’s no doubt he can make a comeback if he wants,” Earl said.
Conversation should be about health — not cheating
Medical experts fear the system is too focused on cheating and the risk of ruining careers — rather than the serious health effects.
“There’s really significant immediate and long-term effects from using performance- or image-enhancing drugs, which affect all systems of the body,” said Dr Larissa Trease, a medical advisor to Sports Integrity Australia.
“Anabolics and stimulants can result in cardiac effects, diabetes can develop from the use of human growth hormone, liver failure too, EPOs can cause thromboembolic events or strokes.
“In males the testes shrink and cause infertility, substances can cause premature closure of the growth plate so people fail to reach their true height and stature, acne, in women facial hair and the growth of an Adam’s apple or swelling in the neck.” Dr Trease said.
The mental and psychological consequences can be as severe.
“Anabolic steroids can cause personality changes, like aggression, a loss of control, outbursts of violence, most of the performance- and image-enhancing drugs can also affect people’s psychological wellbeing, stimulants can cause anxiety and acute psychotic episodes.”
Many substances are sourced under the counter and have never been tested for their long-term effects.
“Some of them, as an example SARMS actually never make it through the testing process because of the significant side-effects including tumours or cancers caused in rats, so they’ve never actually been licenced for human use.”
Sport Integrity Australia is concerned the rise of the body-beautiful gym culture is normalising performance- and image-enhancing drugs.
