PERFORMANCE enhancing drugs are not an issue on Riverina sporting fields according to three of the region's leading football administrators.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A year-long Australian Crime Commission investigation yesterday revealed widespread doping and match-fixing was rife in Australia in what was described as the darkest day in the country's proud sporting history.
Australia's biggest sporting administrators joined politicians and law enforcement bodies in Canberra yesterday where it was told Australian sport is wallowing in performance-enhancing drugs being fed to athletes by organised crime.
Riverina's sporting administrators were in a state of shock at the developments but were all on the same page when it came to the local sporting landscape.
Officials from Southern Inland Rugby Union (SIRU), Group Nine and AFL Riverina are all confident there are no performance enhancing drugs in Riverina sport.
"Absolutely none to my knowledge," SIRU community rugby manager Mick McTaggart said yesterday.
"Nothing has ever been reported and I suppose there has never been any suspicion of strange behaviour or anything linked to it.
"That's the truth not even a rumour."
"I'd be absolutely gobsmacked (about drug use) at amateur level."
Group Nine secretary Warren Barclay echoed McTaggart's comments.
"Not aware (of drug use) in Group Nine and I'd been totally surprised if there was," Barclay said.
"I couldn't imagine there would be drugs being used."
Barclay, however, did reveal that drug testing would be introduced at a junior representative level this season.
"Basically, the CRL through, the NRL, is taking a strong stance regarding performance-enhancing drugs," Barclay said.
"For the first time the players in the under 16 and under 18 representative teams will be drug tested.
"They will be told well beforehand before they are selected.'
"I suppose this is a typical tough approach (to drugs)."
Amid claims of widespread match-fixing in the national codes, Barclay did not believe such actions would occur in bush football of any description.
AFL Riverina football operations manager Shane Buchanan agreed and said these issues were more of a concern at the elite level.
"As far as AFL Riverina is concerned, we really don't know if any of that activity is going on," Buchanan said.
"Like the other local competitions, AFL Riverina obviously doesn't test for these substances ... I would think it is only a problem at an elite level."