NRL: Newcastle foward hit with four year ban

Danny Wicks of the Knights. Photo / Getty Images

Former Newcastle forward Danny Wicks has been suspended for four years by the NRL for trafficking a prohibited substance.

Wicks pleaded guilty in a court hearing last November to three counts of supplying drugs.

The suspension comes under the NRL's anti-doping policy, which is in line with the World Anti-Doping Authority's four-year minimum ban for trafficking.

The NRL anti-doping rules provide for a player to accept a penalty without a hearing where the facts are not in dispute.

The ban takes effect from September 19 last year, the date of his Country Rugby League club's final match in 2010, and he will be eligible to play again from September 20, 2014.

"The case is a reminder to all players of the dangers of any association with illegal substances," NRL chief executive David Gallop said in a statement.

Wicks pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying methyl amphetamine and one count of supplying 150 ecstasy tablets.

He is awaiting sentencing.

- AAP