Maher won’t fight drugs checks
... but Tipp star is wary of blood tests
TIPPERARY hurling captain Brendan Maher has said that county players have just accepted drug testing as part of their lives but admits he does have reservations over the possibility of blood testing, which the GAA are due to implement in 2016 as part of the Irish Sports Council’s antidoping programme.
Maher, who was tested as recently as last week after a Tipp training session, admits he was ‘surprised’ to hear of a positive test by a Monaghan footballer but doesn’t believe that doping is an issue within the association.
And he says that being aware of what medicines you can and can’t take is now just part and parcel of life as an inter-county star, even if it has become a bit of a burden.
‘It did surprise me that there had been a positive test, but testing has been there for a number of years and you have to be so aware of what you can take when you have a cold. There are so many things you can’t take, you can be done for Nurofen Plus, you can’t take Berocca Boost. It is so strict,’ said Maher.
The Tipp skipper praised his team’s medical staff in highlight- ing to the players what they can take but he says there’s always a fear that a simple cold medication could result in a positive test.
‘Our doctor is excellent in highlighting the things we can’t take. For new players who are just coming in at the start of every year, it is important that they are aware and we lay out for them what they