Brown urges support for 'lonely' Mullen

Jan 19, 2017 - 2:57 AM Newcastle coach Nathan Brown has urged his players not to abandon Jarrod Mullen after his NRL career was placed in doubt due to a positive doping test.

Brown said the club's top priority was Mullen's welfare after his provisional suspension for testing positive to anabolic steroid Drostanolone.

"Jarrod's welfare is everyone's main concern, not what's happened, how it's happened or why it's happened," Brown told reporters on Thursday.

The Knights star could be facing a long battle to clear his name and return to the NRL.

Under the NRL's drugs policy, Mullen is facing a maximum four-year ban but can decide to have his B-sample analysed by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

Brown fears Mullen may feel isolated as the matter threatens to end his career in disgrace.

"The support there will need to be further down the track," Brown said.

"I'm sure Jarrod will work out who his friends are in 6, 8, 10 weeks time when things do get a little bit more lonely.

"In this time now when it first happens, there's all sorts of people who do appear and they disappear too, don't they?

"I'd like to think his closest mates will be there in six weeks, not so much now. He's got plenty of support now."

The positive sample came just a week after the 29-year-old aggravated a recurring right hamstring injury.

Brown backed up previous comments by Knights boss Matt Gidley that Mullen had sought advice outside the club.

Source: AAP