THE news that young South Sydney stars Aaron Gray and Dylan Walker were hospitalised and placed in an induced coma after overdosing on prescription medication was a wake up call for rugby league.
While we argue about video referees, player contracts and everything else in between, occasionally a story breaks that stops the game in its tracks — and unfortunately it is the only way that people learn.
On NRL 360 on Tuesday night, hosts Paul Kent and Ben Ikin put the question to Dragons halfback Benji Marshall and Sharks hooker Michael Ennis on how prescription drugs are being used within the game.
Read and watch on to find out what you missed on TV last night and tune in to NRL 360 LIVE at 6.30pm (EDT) every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on Fox Sports 1.
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Learning the hard way
It happened with lifting tackles and shoulder charges and now rugby league is learning another valuable lesson.
With Rabbitohs duo and close friends Aaron Gray and Dylan Walker lying in a Sydney hospital after taking too much prescription medication, Dragons halfback Benji Marshall said the game has taken a much needed wake up call.
Marshall has been in the NRL for over a decade and during that time he says he has witnessed players abusing prescription medication at every level, but he is of the belief that it is on the decline.
However, the seriousness of the issue has resurfaced and he hopes it will finally get through to anyone thinking of taking the risk.
“It’s a wakeup call,” he told the panel on NRL 360 on Tuesday night.
**_“Throughout my years playing I’ve seen it in club teams_** and I’ve seen it in rep teams, people taking prescription drugs recreationally. It’s fine to take them to ease pain or after an operation but actually recreationally sometimes instead of drinking.”
Marshall insisted there is nothing wrong with taking prescription drugs responsibly, it’s when they are deliberately misused that there becomes a serious problem.
“It’s when you cross the line,” he said.
“We had that crack down a couple of years ago and from that point I saw a massive improvement from where we were as a game. What this does is it highlights that thing again that tars everyone with the same brush, but I can assure you, from what it used to be to what it is now, it’s nowhere near.
“We’ve always had to learn the hard way with everything, and it’s happened with this,” Marshall continued.
“It happened with lifting tackles, this occasion prescription drugs. It’s just got to stop. It’s going too far.”
Ben Ikin took a similar approach and said it was a wake up call to supporters, much like the supplements scandal was when it ripped through the AFL and rugby league.
Ben Ikin said it was a reality check.
“It was like a slap in the face — just in case you think this stuff doesn’t go on in your code, here is a living example of what is going on under your nose,” he said.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/benji-marshall-has-seen-prescription-drugs-misused-in-the-nrl-what-you-missed-on-tv-last-night/story-fn2mcuj6-1227539362480
