Mitchell Sargent
Encyclopedia
Mitchell Sargent is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s. A Country New South Wales representative forward, he played club football in the NRL for the Melbourne Storm
, North Queensland Cowboys
and Newcastle Knights
and in Super League
for English side, Castleford Tigers
.
Sargent played from the interchange bench in the North Queensland Cowboys
' first ever grand final in 2005
which was lost to the Wests Tigers
.
On 24 August 2006 Sargent had his contract with the Cowboys terminated after he tested positive to cocaine
from "in-house tests" conducted by the club. According to a statement from Cowboys management, Sargent admitted using the drug and waived his right to a 'B' sample http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/cocaine-test-traps-cowboy/2006/08/24/1156012658979.html.
National Rugby League Chief Executive David Gallop
confirmed in the same report that Sargent would not face the normal mandatory two year ban prescribed by the World Anti-Doping Agency
as the positive result was from an in-house, out-of-competition test.
Although banished from the Cowboys' team, Sargent was offered a three-year year contract (starting in 2007) with the Newcastle Knights, which he accepted http://nrl.com.au/Clubs/Knights/KnightsNewsArticle/tabid/119/NewsId/2897/Default.aspx. He stated that he is "over the moon to be given this second chance".
He left the Newcastle Knights
after signing a two and half year deal with the Castleford Tigers
in 2008.
Sargent left Castleford at the end of 2010 and is now retired.
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
and Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
and in Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
for English side, Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
.
Sargent played from the interchange bench in the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
' first ever grand final in 2005
2005 NRL Grand Final
The 2005 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2005 National Rugby League season. It was played on the night of Sunday, 2 October at Sydney's Telstra Stadium between 4th-placed Wests Tigers and 5th-placed North Queensland Cowboys, the only two clubs in the...
which was lost to the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
.
On 24 August 2006 Sargent had his contract with the Cowboys terminated after he tested positive to cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
from "in-house tests" conducted by the club. According to a statement from Cowboys management, Sargent admitted using the drug and waived his right to a 'B' sample http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/cocaine-test-traps-cowboy/2006/08/24/1156012658979.html.
National Rugby League Chief Executive David Gallop
David Gallop
David Gallop is an Australian sports administrator who has been the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League since February 2002. He has also been the Secretary of the Rugby League International Federation since its inception in 1998.-Early life:...
confirmed in the same report that Sargent would not face the normal mandatory two year ban prescribed by the World Anti-Doping Agency
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
as the positive result was from an in-house, out-of-competition test.
Although banished from the Cowboys' team, Sargent was offered a three-year year contract (starting in 2007) with the Newcastle Knights, which he accepted http://nrl.com.au/Clubs/Knights/KnightsNewsArticle/tabid/119/NewsId/2897/Default.aspx. He stated that he is "over the moon to be given this second chance".
He left the Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
after signing a two and half year deal with the Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
in 2008.
Sargent left Castleford at the end of 2010 and is now retired.
Career highlights
- NRL Debut: 2002 - Round 1, Storm v Canberra RaidersCanberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
, Olympic Park, MelbourneOlympic Park, MelbourneThe Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports venues and stadia, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne city centre, between the suburbs of East Melbourne and Richmond, and close to the north-eastern bank of... - SL Debut: 2008 - Round ??, Castleford v Huddersfield Giants