Two-year drugs ban for Bulls? Hudson

The Bradford Bulls hooker, Ryan Hudson, was yesterday banned for two years after being found guilty of taking a prohibited substance.

The Bradford Bulls hooker, Ryan Hudson, was yesterday banned for two years after being found guilty of taking a prohibited substance.

Hudson, a former England Under-21 captain, was handed the suspension by a Rugby Football League panel at a 90-minute hearing in Leeds.

The 25-year-old former Huddersfield, Wakefield and Castleford forward was found guilty of providing a sample containing the banned steroid stanozolol.

The ban comes less than five months after he signed a three-year deal with the Bulls, for whom he has yet to make an appearance.

The London Broncos forward Danny Williams has been found not guilty of refusing to take a drugs test.

The former Melbourne Storm player was cleared at a Rugby League tribunal in Leeds yesterday, because he was not a registered player at the time and was not subject to the League's doping regulations.

Williams has been unable to make his debut for the Broncos because of a suspension imposed for striking an opponent in Australia, but he will now be able to resume his career when that ban expires next month.

Ged Corcoran, the former Halifax player now with Limoux in France, has been suspended for three months after testing positive for ephedrine.

Wigan have brought forward a medical on Andy Farrell's injured knee as they try to resolve his future.

The club's owner, Dave Whelan, has given the Rugby Football Union until the end of this week to complete any deal - after which Wigan will call it off. Farrell is expected to be out of action for another two months after a knee operation.

"Andy has spoken to the various Zurich Premiership clubs interested in him, but there has been no pressure from us because of the knee injury which is likely to keep him out until mid-May" said the Wigan chairman, Maurice Lindsay. "However, we did say to the RFU that we need a decision to remove the uncertainty in our minds and our fans' minds."