A National Anti-Doping Panel has suspended Rugby League player Steve Dooler for four months after he was found guilty of breaching the RFL’s anti-doping regulations.

Dooler, who was registered with Hunslet Hawks, was found to have provided a sample containing the stimulant Methylhexaneamine, a Specified Substance on the WADA Prohibited List which means that it is susceptible to inadvertent use.

The National Anti-Doping Panel found Dooler guilty of an anti-doping rule violation and imposed a four month period of ineligibility. The reduced sanction reflects the fact that the Panel accepted Dooler did not intend to enhance his performance through the use of a supplement containing Methylhexaneamine.

Dooler’s suspension commences from September 18, 2010 and will end on January 17 2011.

The RFL advise all players to be aware of Methylhexaneamine, which has been the cause of a number of positive tests throughout the world. Methylhexaneamine is commonly referred to by a number of alternative names including, but not limited to, forthan, forthane, floradrene, geranamine, dimethylamylamine, DMAA, dimethylpentylamine, 1,3-dimethylamylamine or geranium oil.

There is no guarantee that supplements are drug free, and the RFL and UK Anti-Doping recommend that any player who is considering the use of a supplement assesses the risks in doing so. The Informed-Sport programme evaluates supplement manufacturers for their process integrity, and screens supplements and ingredients for the presence of prohibited substances.