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

Duckworth, a York City Knights player, 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 Duckworth guilty of an anti-doping rule violation and imposed a six month period of ineligibility. The reduced sanction reflects the fact that the Panel accepted Duckworth did not intend to enhance his performance through the use of a supplement containing Methylhexaneamine.

The suspension commences from September 1, 2010.

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.

Further information can be found at www.informed-sport.com