NRL to investigate how Brent Naden played grand final with cocaine in his system

The NRL will investigate the incredible circumstances surrounding Panthers star Brent Naden’s cocaine ban.

Brent Naden of the Panthers. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

The NRL will investigate the circumstances around how Penrith star Brent Naden played this year’s grand final with cocaine in his system.

Naden was on Tuesday provisionally suspended after it was revealed he returned a positive sample from a test carried out following the Panthers’ grand final loss to the Melbourne Storm on October 25.

The NRL integrity unit will launch a separate inquiry into how Naden may have broken the game’s strict biosecurity bubble to allegedly use the drug while in lockdown.

Naden was one of five Penrith players tested by Sports Integrity Australia officials after the game but is the only one to return a positive sample.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Brent Naden had been checked into a rehab facility on Sydney’s northern beaches. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The 24-year-old Panthers centre will now have to appear before an NRL Anti Doping Tribunal, where the onus will be on him to prove the drug was not used for performance-enhancing purposes, which carries a two-year ban.

He may, however, only serve a minimal one-to-three-month suspension due to the World Anti Doping Authority’s reduction in its recreational drug bans from January 1, 2021.

The Daily Telegraph revealed last month Naden had been checked into a rehab facility on Sydney’s northern beaches to deal with alcohol issues. He spent three weeks before being released last week but is still being treated as an outpatient.

Given he is undergoing a rehabilitation program, Naden’s ban could be closer to one month, meaning he may not miss a single game next season.

Penrith officials have denied any prior knowledge of Naden’s behaviour, but said in a statement Naden admitted after the grand final to using a recreational substance.

Brent Naden has been suspended under the NRL’s Anti-Doping Policy. Picture: Gregg Porteous/NRL Photos

“Penrith Panthers acknowledges the provisional suspension handed down to player Brent Naden after he returned a positive test for a recreational drug,” the Panthers said in a statement.

“As previously reported, Brent approached the club following the 2020 NRL Grand Final to seek help with a number of personal issues. At that time he admitted to the use of a recreational drug.

“Panthers informed the NRL of Brent’s admission and with the support of the club, he commenced a voluntary rehabilitation program at a private health facility.

“Brent recently completed that program and continues to address his personal issues with the support of his family and Panthers staff.

“Working closely with Brent through this process, the club believes he has the capacity to overcome his personal issues and realise his potential.”

When Naden allegedly took the drug and how he may have secured it is another serious issue the NRL Integrity Unit will examine – whether he left his home or was visited by someone. Either scenario would constitute a breach of the NRL’s bubble protocol on the eve of the biggest game of the season.

Brent Naden the day after the NRL grand final in Penrith. Picture: John Grainger

It is understood the NRL Integrity Unit has already interviewed Naden multiple times.

Asked for a comment, Naden’s agent, Allan Gainey, texted The Daily Telegraph to say: “I’m sure you realise that under the World Anti Doping Code it is unlawful for me to make any comment at this time.”

It has been a tumultuous time for Naden.

After being a regular starter for Penrith all season, he was dropped to the bench for the Panthers’ preliminary final against South Sydney and did not even play in the game.

He was named on the interchange bench for the grand final but there was speculation on the morning of the match that he would be dropped from the final 17-man team. Naden, however, took his place in the side and played 32 minutes of the bench, posting 67 metres from seven runs as the Panthers went down to the Storm 26-20.

An NRL statement on Tuesday read: “The mandatory Provisional Suspension Notice asserts that Mr Naden returned a positive A-sample for metabolites of cocaine following a test conducted by Sport Integrity Australia after the grand final match on 25 October 2020. Cocaine is prohibited In-Competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the NRL’s Anti-Doping Policy.

The dejected Panthers following the grand final loss to Melbourne. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“Mr Naden is prohibited from participating in any WADA compliant sport, including rugby league, while the provisional suspension is in place. Under the Anti-Doping Policy, Mr Naden now has the opportunity to have his B-sample analysed.”

The Rugby League Players’ Association praised the “work of the Penrith Panthers and commend their approach in providing Brent with ongoing support during this time.”

In 2016, Cronulla sacked Ben Barba from the final year of his contract after he tested positive to cocaine four days after the Sharks’ historic NRL grand final win.

It was Barba’s second breach of the NRL’s illicit substance policy, which triggered an automatic 12-match ban and resulted in the fullback entering a rehabilitation centre in Thailand. He has not played in the NRL since, after a comeback attempt with North Queensland failed when the Cowboys sacked him months out from the 2019 season due to an off-field incident.

In 2017, CCTV footage emerged of New Zealand players Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor allegedly using cocaine outside a Canberra nightclub the evening after the Anzac Test.

While neither player failed a drug test, Proctor was fined $20,000 by the Gold Coast Titans and suspended for four games, while Bromwich was banned for two games and axed from the Melbourne Storm’s leadership group. The pair also lost their places in the Kiwis’ 2017 World Cup squad.