Second Newcastle Knight under drug microscope
* Peter Kogoy
* From: The Australian
* December 23, 2009 12:00AM
A SECOND Newcastle Knights player is under investigation as police widen their probe into an alleged drug ring with links to an outlaw motorcycle gang in northern NSW.
On a day when the Knights' senior players convinced teammates to accept wider internal drug testing, it can be revealed that taskforce detectives attached to the Danny Wicks case are investigating a second player.
A senior police source refused to name the player or release details of his alleged involvement as a possible co-conspirator in the drug ring with Wicks.
Wicks appeared last week in a Newcastle local court charged with six counts of supplying and two of possessing prohibited substances.
Wicks's lawyer, Mark Hanlon, said his client intended to plead not guilty to the charges.
At the same time Wicks's younger brother Brett, 22, sister-in-law Tristen Davenport, 25, and former Newcastle Suns soccer player Steven Stefanovski, 29, were all charged after a police investigation into the distribution of speed, cocaine and ecstasy.
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"You've got to understand, police don't want a repeat of the Bulldogs' case in Coffs Harbour five years ago," the police source said.
A seven-month police investigation against six Bulldogs players, allegedly involved in a sexual assault five years ago, collapsed because of a lack of evidence.
"You can understand how nervous some investigators associated with the Wicks matter may be," he said. "Officers continue to build a brief to be presented to the court on these drug matters."
Earlier in the day, Newcastle players met club officials after their final training session of the year to discuss a plan to broaden the club's rights to broaden its internal drug-testing policy.
Club captain Kurt Gidley, along with senior players Ben Cross, Steve Simpson and Adam MacDougall addressed the players.
"The players then held a meeting on their own and agreed to the new measures," coach Rick Stone said. "There was not one dissenting voice among the group present. The players have agreed to give the club extra powers to test players anywhere, any time.
"Any issues relating to a possible breach of player contract, as well as the Rugby League Players Association rules which require a players' permission for testing when on holidays was also addressed."
Stone said the new drug policy wasn't expected to be finalised and phased-in until after the players returned from their Christmas break on January 4.
What the Knights' players agreed to in principle is a carbon copy of the Brisbane Broncos drug-testing policy that has been in place for the past three years.
"It allows us as a club to target test our players any time, any where and for 365 days of the year," a Brisbane spokesman said.
"Our independent testers can turn up at a player's home, before training or while they are away with family and friends on holidays, wherever we feel fit.
"The target tests aren't necessarily there to catch blokes out, but to take away the temptation of them doing the wrong thing."
The additional tests don't come cheap. The Broncos' annual drug-testing bill is in the tens of thousands of dollors.
Stone said he left the meeting believing the players were happy to have the Newcastle in-house program expanded and remain keen to distance themselves from Wicks.
"The timing to bring the new testing in from today just wasn't right," Stone said.
"But the players as a whole are clearly keen to have any suspicion lifted as we prepare for next season.
"Once the meeting was over we gathered at the Dixon Park surf club for a Christmas party, enjoyed a few beers and had Santa Claus hand out a few presents to the kids.
"I left the boys in pretty good spirits," Stone said.
