ASADA drama is Flanagan’s fault: Bennett

Supercoach Wayne Bennett has laid the blame for the ASADA saga squarely at the feet of his banned Cronulla counterpart Shane Flanagan.

Newcastle mentor Bennett will miss Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden for the remainder of the NRL season after the duo accepted ASADA bans issued as part of the anti-doping body’s investigation into the Sharks’ supplements program of 2011.

Smith and Snowden were among 10 current NRL players, including NSW skipper Paul Gallen, to accept the bans on Friday.

Bennett said the Sharks players of 2011 had their duty of care breached by Flanagan, whose one-year NRL ban over the 2011 doping program ends in September, and his support staff.

“The buck stops within the group that told them this was okay to do this,” Bennett told reporters at training on Friday.

“I said when this all broke that clubs don’t do drugs en masse, players do not do that.

“You will have individuals that go off and do it but not teams.

“The only way that would happen is if coaches had convinced them or staff had convinced them it was okay and not performance enhancing and that’s the way it has panned out.

“There is no way you can get 15 or 17 guys in any club and you tell them exactly what is in the drug and it is performance enhancing and that they would all agree to be a part of that.

“It just wouldn’t happen in any club in this country in any code.”

Bennett said Smith and Snowden had been assured by Sharks staff that they were not taking banned substances.

“I can tell you they were assured it was to aid recovery and it was not performance enhancing,” he said.

“I’ve worked with those boys for three years, in Jeremy’s case four, and I trust them as much as I would trust anybody .

“It’s disappointing but it will be resolved for them now.

“At least they can move on with nothing hanging over their heads at the end of the next three months.”

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