NRL 2021: James Segeyaro’s shock after learning rugby league return date

An emotional James Segeyaro was on the verge of tears when we broke the news to him he will be allowed to play rugby league again.

James Segeyaro training with the Broncos in 2019. Picture: Peter Wallis

Holding a shovel with one hand and his phone in the other, James Segeyaro had always imagined what he’d be doing when the news came through.

At an Oyster Bay building site, where the exiled NRL star has worked as a concreter for the past 16 months, the call that Segeyaro had been waiting for finally arrived.

“What? Are you serious ... I’m literally going to cry,’’ Segeyaro screamed when The Daily Telegraph broke the news to him yesterday.

“This news, that means that day one of playing rugby league, the sport I love, that literally starts today.

“I’d never given up on playing again. I won’t. I’m just so happy.

“I’ll come back through the NSW Cup, I’ll come back through park footy, I just know I’m not finished with yet.

“I’m Papua New Guinean and rugby league is a national sport in PNG, you don’t understand how much pride there is to be a Kumul in my country, so to have a chance again to run around on a footy field again, any footy field, as a proud Kumul, is amazing.”

James Segeyaro’s wait to play rugby league again is almost over. Picture: Peter Wallis

Instead of a maximum four-year ban, the NRL imposed a 20 month suspension on Segeyaro after an anti-doping tribunal ruled that he had unintentionally consumed Ligandrol, a banned substance under the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) code.

The 30-year-old will be allowed to play rugby league again on June 3.

Segeyaro had maintained throughout his arduous defence that it was his housemate who had - legally - purchased and used the supplement for his own personal use by mixing the supplement in their kitchen blender.

The NRL anti-doping panel accepted Segeyaro’s version of events, stating: “In considering the circumstances of the breach, the Tribunal found that whilst Mr Segeyaro bore a significant degree of responsibility for the positive result, he had not intentionally taken the Ligandrol, which was likely to have entered his system via the use of a food blender maintained by a member of his household that contained residues of the substance.

“Having been satisfied that the doping was not intentional, the Tribunal determined that Mr Segeyaro was entitled to a reduced sanction under the WADA Code.”

James Segeyaro successfully had his suspension reduced to two years and could even be back in the NRL in 2021. Picture: AAP.

Ever since he was let go by the Broncos and provisionally suspended by the NRL on October 3, 2019, Segeyaro has felt like his world has been gradually caving in.

He needed to sell his $600,000 “dream” home and worked for his close mate’s business, Stirling Concrete, to cover $55,000 in legal fees.

But yesterday, the former Cowboys, Panthers, Sharks and Broncos hooker was jumping across a building site at the chance to swap his steel caps for footy boots.

“If you look at my record throughout my career, I had never tested positive to anything before,’’ Segeyaro said.

“I feel vindicated to some extent, but I’ll never get that time (20-months) back.

“I’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars, I’ve had to sell my property which was my dream home back in Cairns since I was 18-years-old, all because of the uncertainty that comes with any athlete that is trying to defend themselves when they know they haven’t done this intentionally.

“There were plenty of times that if I didn’t have the right support system, god only knows what I would’ve done.

“I had my partner, my family, my friends, I was lucky.

“Now I have to repay that faith, but ultimately I want to make up for some lost time.’