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Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga and teammate Kurt Mann have been drug tested by the NRL after being ejected from a pub toilet cubicle.
NRL 360 host Paul Kent revealed the pair were tested on Tuesday but the results are not yet known.
Ponga’s father and manager Andre Ponga claimed on Monday his son had been feeling sick after drinking at the Newcastle pub and Mann accompanied him to toilet to check on his welfare.
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“The NRL have acted on the investigation that they are currently undertaking in regards to the two Newcastle players Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann,” Kent said on NRL 360.
“The NRL sent their drug testers up there today under the illicit and hazardous drugs policy and both players have undergone drug tests today (Tuesday).
“It is confidential at the moment and the results will be confidential. But clearly the NRL is acting on the evidence they have already received.
“It is a drug test for illicit drugs. I don’t think it is performance enhancing. I think it is social drugs.
“We all draw our own conclusions about what was going on in the cubicle and the NRL have today reacted responsibly in regards to that and sent their drug testers there to see if there was social drugs involved.”
Kent explained the NRL drugs policy in discussing any potential punishment if the tests return positive.
“The investigation is about what happens next to these two players in terms of their punishment,” Kent said.
“It is clearly a bad look for the game. There was a lot of talking around what was potentially happening in the cubicle.
“But the NRL have gone right to the heart of it by bringing drug testers in there to figure out if they have a case to answer.
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“Under the NRL drugs policy it is a three strikes policy. First offence the player’s identity will not be revealed. Under the first offence we will not be told of any positive or negative findings. That basically results in a warning and counselling if there is a positive drug test.
“Once we get to a second offence and second positive drug test it is then a mandatory 12 week suspension.
“But if someone already has a first strike against them and a second strike is about to come up then the mandatory 12 weeks will be enacted, which is going to cause a lot of speculation because the NRL don’t have to reveal the findings of it but clearly we will be looking with interest to see if these guys turn up next season.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio believes Knights head of football Peter Parr was hamstrung by what he could tell the media on Tuesday because of the pending drug tests.
“This significant development lends reason to why Peter Parr was quite restrained and restricted with what he could say at today’s press conference,” Riccio said.
“He just couldn’t elaborate.”
“I thought he could have said more though Dave,” Kent interjected.
“OK fair enough, but I am just saying if they are being tested today Kenty, Parr would have known about that,” Riccio said.
“He was upholding the Integrity Unit process. So he can’t come out and say we are going to suspend them for this or that when the investigation is ongoing.”
“That’s true, but he was also asked more generic questions,” Kent replied.
“And rather than answer whether it was a bad look for the club or not for example, he just said, I am not here to assume anything.
“Well, you could fairly argue it was a poor look for the club.”
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