Gateshead plead ignorance over presence of banned Australians
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Your support makes all the difference.Gateshead thunder have pleaded innocence and ignorance over the presence at their struggling club of two players banned in Australia for drugs offences.
The outpost club, allowed extra imports to help them compete, recently applied to register Peter Petrie, who is banned until 2005 for taking steroids while playing for Valley's in Brisbane. The Rugby League received a warning from Australia that he could try to play here under an assumed name.
"If we had known the full facts, we would not have tried to obtain clearance,'' said the Gateshead coach, Paul Fletcher. "He trained with us but he is no longer here.''
Gateshead also fielded Scott MacDougall against Chorley 10 days ago, despite him still serving a one-year ban for avoiding a drugs test in Australia. MacDougall, the brother of the Test winger Adam MacDougall, is not free to play again until the end of March.
"MacDougall did play for us against Chorley, but we thought his ban was over,'' said Fletcher. The RFL has accepted the explanation, but can still extend MacDougall's ban.
Two players have been cleared of serious accusations hanging over them since a Northern Ford Premiership match last June. Whitehaven's Lee Smith will not face any punishment over allegations that he racially abused Alex Godfrey in the game against Hull KR, while Godfrey, now with York, has been cleared of assaulting Smith after the match.
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