NO WAY ZAK
Hardaker’s agony as drug shame wrecks World Cup dream
ZAK HARDAKER admits he has “let everyone down” after the failed drugs test that cost him a Grand Final place and World Cup spot.
Hardaker was yesterday omitted from Wayne Bennett’s 24-man England squad after the RFL confirmed he tested positive for a banned substance, understood to be cocaine, after a Super 8s match against Leeds on September 8.
He had been left out of the Castleford squad beaten at Old Trafford by Leeds on Saturday for what was initially described as a “breach of club discipline”.
The Tigers clarified the position following the RFL’s announcement, stating they only became aware of the positive test on Thursday.
Hardaker will miss a second consecutive World Cup for offfield misdemeanours, having been removed from the 2013 squad midway through the tournament for breaking a drinking ban.
He made a loan move from Leeds to the Tigers permanent midway through the current campaign for a transfer fee of £150,000.
But his provisional suspension has left a doubt over his highly-promising career, which included being named Man of Steel in the Rhinos’ treble-winning 2015 season.
Hardaker was second in the voting for this year’s award and his selection for England was expected to be a formality.
He said: “I would like to apologise to my Castleford Tigers team-mates, the staff and all the fans for my enormous error of judgment.
“I was given an opportunity by this great club and in what has been one of the most important weeks in its history, I’ve let everyone at the club down. For that, I truly apologise.
“Finally, I would like to make it clear that in no way did I, nor would I, ever take a substance with the intention of enhancing my performance.”
The Tigers outlined their reason for not making public the circumstances surrounding Hardaker’s suspension in the build-up to the Grand Final.
A club statement read: “Castleford Tigers can confirm it has now received notification that Zak Hardaker has tested positive for a banned substance following a Super 8s match against Leeds Rhinos on September 8, 2017.
“The club was made aware at 10am on Thursday morning that the player would receive official written notification from UK Anti-Doping and therefore the player was immediately suspended.
“Official notification was delivered on Friday and following discussions with the player on Sunday the decision was taken to announce the result of the test today in order to clarify the circumstances around Zak’s omission.”