Monaghan player gets two-year drugs ban

A GAA player from Monaghan has been provisionally banned from Gaelic games for two years after testing positive for a banned substance.

Latton club man Thomas Connolly provided an out-of-competition urine sample on February 13 last, which was found to contain Stanozolol (hydroxystanozolol glucuronide).

The proposed ban was reduced from the standard four years because the GAA anti-doping hearings committee believed the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional.

The committee, chaired by Adrian Colton QC and also comprising former GAA president Nickey Brennan and former Dublin footballer and manager Dr Pat O’Neilll, heard in Connolly’s evidence that he had received tablets from a work colleague after complaining of pain and stiffness as a result of training.

Monaghan manager Malachy O’Rourke, strength and conditioning coach Ryan Porter and county chairman Padraig Sherry provided evidence at the hearing as did the GAA director of games administration and player welfare Feargal McGill and former GAA player welfare administrator Ruairi Harvey.

The committee expressed concern “about the apparent lack of understanding and application of the anti-doping rules and processes at county level in this case.

Whilst we were impressed by the evidence of Messers McGill and Harvey in respect of anti-doping education at central level, we would urge the GAA to intensify its work to ensure that all players, county officers, coaches, managers, medical and allied sports science personnel and players representatives are fully cognisant of their obligations under the Association’s anti-doping rules.”