Former rugby league player reveals doping offences

Former Scotland captain Ollie Wilkes has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Wilkes played for 11 different clubs during a 20-year career and, in an interview with ITV News, revealed that he used growth hormones and peptides during his time playing for Whitehaven and Wigan Warriors.

The 41-year-old also claimed that doping took place at a number of the clubs he played for, although there is no suggestion that the clubs were aware of his actions.

"I used to see people who I was as good as, then all of a sudden come back after a pre-season massive. I'd never say what club, what name. And then just see 'em absolutely tear it up," Wilkes said.

"They were quite slow at the start of pre-season, just a bit heavy and then shred up a bit. I assume they'd be clean by this point and avoided being caught...

"At one stage I thought to myself: 'How am I going to compete with that person knowing they're doing what they're doing?'

"This was before I tried it myself. You knew that someone was using something and you knew you were as good as them, but they'd be getting picked. But you think to yourself: 'Is that what I have to do to, to get in the team? Do I have to take something?'"

He added: "I signed for Whitehaven and I was only training two times a week, and they'd offered me alright money and I thought to myself, I was like: 'Should I have some, see what all the fuss is about?'

"So I tried a performance-enhancing drug, a banned one, and six weeks into the season I got a phone call off Wigan, to sign for Wigan. And, uh, I thought to myself: 'Well', I thought: 'It worked.'"

Wilkes also alleged that some coaches would try to shield their players when drug testers came in.

"On a couple of occasions. I could say that if