James Segeyaro given hope thanks to Shayna Jack case

James Segeyaro has been given hope he may be able to resume his rugby league career before the start of next season after the Shayna Jack verdict.

Former Broncos hooker James Segeyaro AAP Image/Richard Gosling

James Segeyaro has every reason to believe he could resume his top-flight rugby league career next year. Maybe even by the start of next season.

Segeyaro, provisionally suspended after returning a testing positive to Ligandrol, has already fronted an NRL anti-doping tribunal and is awaiting their verdict on his case.

If the outcome of the Shayna Jack case is any indication, he may be back sooner than anyone expected. It may even be that he is free to sign with an NRL club before the season begins.

Jack had a four-year ban cut in half by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after it ruled she had not intentionally ingested Ligandrol. She was prevented from a more significant reduction because she could not show how the substance entered her body.

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Segeyaro can and he has the evidence to back his claims. As revealed in The Weekend Australian earlier this year, the former Cronulla and Brisbane hooker has a statement from his former roommate outlining how he could have been potentially been contaminated by the remnants of Ligandrol in a blender.

The roommate provided a detailed statement outlining the process he followed to make shakes in the blender using Ligandrol as one of the ingredients.

James Segeyaro’s flatmate says he is to blame for the former NRL star’s positive test

“I started using the LGD 4033 about a couple of days or maybe a week after I received it,” he wrote.

“I saw that it was in a powder form and white in colour. I first tried taking it with a scoop directly into my mouth, but it tasted disgusting so I mixed it with other stuff such as in a protein mix, pre or post workouts or smoothies.

“I would mix this in a blender I bought for that purpose to mix all my pre-workout drinks and supplements. After pouring the contents of the container out I would wash the container in the sink under warm water until it was clean to the eye, turn it upside down and then leave it on the rack on the kitchen bench.

“I would also wash the cap and blade under warm water. Sometimes I would have to scrub the cap and metal blade as it had blueberries or other residue still on it from whatever drink I made up.

“As James was sharing my apartment he was free to use the blender as he wished. I know he did use it from time to time as I could hear it going, but I had no idea how much he used it when I was not at home.”

The roommate, whose name has been withheld, provided a receipt for his purchase of Ligandrol as well as a receipt for the purchase of the blender from JB Hi-Fi.

He insisted Segeyaro was not aware of his use of Ligandrol because he kept it in his gym bag. Segeyaro faced an anti-doping tribunal last month and the respective legal counsels have spent recent weeks preparing and exchanging submissions.

The final submissions will be filed this week and a decision could be rendered soon after. Segeyaro and his legal team are hopeful that it will fall in their favour given they can show how Ligandrol entered his body.

The NRL has a further two drug cases in the works. Cronulla centre Bronson Xerri is also facing a four-year ban after testing positive to testosterone — he had his appearance before the anti-doping tribunal adjourned last week and it will continue just before Christmas.

Parramatta centre Michael Jennings was provisionally suspected on October 10 after also returning a positive test to Ligandrol. He is yet to face an anti-doping tribunal.