Dwain Chambers

[HBK-aholic]

Source - Timesonline

Dwain Chambers says he is still hopeful of competing at Beijing Olympics despite joining struggling rugby league side Castleford Tigers on a month's trial.

The 29-year-old British sprinter, who served a two-year ban for doping, is prevented from running in Beijing because of a British Olympic Association by-law.

Chambers insisted the Olympics remains his priority but felt he had to explore other options should his appeal against the ban fail.

"I would like to get to Beijing - I'm getting on and am 30 on Saturday and this may be my last chance," Chambers said. "But I am here to learn and see if I can grasp a different sport.

I'm going to take it one day at a time and instead of running in a straight line I will be running left and right. I'm optimistic about what I can achieve. I'm competitive at heart and want to go out and do the best I can."

Chambers, , who has never played rugby league before, spent a brief but unsuccesful spell playing American Football after his athletics suspension ended before the NFL Europe league was disbanded.

He said: "My only experience of rugby is the photoshoot the other day with the ball in my hand. But I'm a tough nut. I'm willing to go out there and try what the sport entails. There's a risk but I'm open to that.

"I believe I'll be targeted, but I've been targeted all my life. We have got a strategy - we have got it all planned out. This is just one of many options that have presented itself at the moment."

Remarkably Chambers could make his debut in the 13-man code as soon as this Sunday, when the Tigers play St Helens.

"He's probably 50-50 at the moment," Tom Matterson, the Tigers coach, said. "We're busted. We only had 17 players yesterday (Sunday) and lost two more (Mark Leafa and Kirk Dixon) to injury so you do the sums.

"I would say his chances of playing in the first grade are high."

Matterson admitted it would be difficult for Chambers but said the athlete and the club were right to take the gamble.

So, he's never played a game of Rugby in his life, but is a possibility in facing St Helens in a few days time. How this is possible is beyond me. It completely takes away from what Rugby League is about. It also annoys me how much disrespect is being shown to the younger players, who spend so much of their time playing for the academy, yet get passed over by an olympic sprinter. Who, has been banned before due to drug use?

I also think he's incredibly big headed to think he can play Rugby League while still having his priority as the olympics. Any sport requires 100% dedication; something he blatantly isn't offering. And it amazes me how Castleford don't see this.

What are everyones thoughts on the matter?

 

[Capt. Charisma]

I was going to post about this yesterday, Dwain Chambers is a disgrace he should just retire as it sends a really bad example to kids about steroids, more so than wrestlers in my opinion. Athletics has become a joke though not because of Chambers but because of the Americans, Russians, and eastern europeans who have been using roids for the last 40 years to win medals in the olympics. The Americans especially are to blame for it because now in order to compete other countries where roids though used weren't mainstream among young atheletes but now they are.

As for his rugby league 'career' that is an even bigger joke, it shows the complete lack of quality of rugby league, as a guy who hasn't even played rugby professionally for 10 years is able to go to one of the top division sides. Nfl europe was crap quality, but so is Rugby League, thats why no-one watches it. Please tell me what Rugby League is all about? because from what I have experianced both playing and watching it, is that it is neadlessly confussing, is too stop start, generally very boring to watch, and nowhere near physical enough. Rugby Union is better, mainly due to it been more physical but still not that exciting nor great, if you want to watch something exciting watch Aussie rules it is a better game IMO than both

 

[HBK-aholic]

As for his rugby league 'career' that is an even bigger joke, it shows the complete lack of quality of rugby league, as a guy who hasn't even played rugby professionally for 10 years is able to go to one of the top division sides. Nfl europe was crap quality, but so is Rugby League, thats why no-one watches it. Please tell me what Rugby League is all about? because from what I have experianced both playing and watching it, is that it is neadlessly confussing, is too stop start, generally very boring to watch, and nowhere near physical enough. Rugby Union is better, mainly due to it been more physical but still not that exciting nor great, if you want to watch something exciting watch Aussie rules it is a better game IMO than both

This is definatly not what I was getting at, so I definately do not think you should use that againt your opinion of RL. Use it against Castleford Tigers, as I am doing. But trust me this is not the practice of a proper top flight team.
Sadly Castleford recently got promoted and have had an awful set of injuries. To play the game you need 17 men. Castleford played their last game with the only 17 men they had left. 2 of them are now injured. You do the maths. I'm not defending their decision, as I hate it. Your reaction is exactly what I was afraid of this doing to the world of RL, and I was right about it happening.