Footy drug cheat Bronson Xerri reveals the biggest mistake he made before being banned from the NRL for four years
- Bronson Xerri is set to return to NRL with the Bulldogs
- Has taken a critical look at his previous stint in the game
- He says he is now a completely different person from his old self
Disgraced former Sharks player Bronson
Xerri has been handed a lifeline for next season by the Bulldogs, with club boss Phil Gould willing to give the 23-year-old a second chance in the competition.
Now the former Sharks speedster has revealed how his ban from the game has changed him for the better.
His fall from grace began when he was provisionally suspended in 2020 after returning a positive drug for anabolic steroids.
The B sample confirmed the worst, and his NRL career was brought to a shuddering halt when he was hit with a four-year ban from all competition.
Bronson Xerri (pictured recently at Bulldogs training) says his ban from the sport has made him a better person
Xerri (pictured playing for Cronulla in 2019) was one of the NRL's brightest stars before his public fall from grace
Xerri had been one of the NRL's brightest stars and his dramatic fall from grace made him realize what he really wanted from life.
'I know I've been out for four years. “I'm quite hard on myself when it comes to setting goals and I really want to achieve them, so hopefully I can get that round one spot,” he shared News Corp.
'I take it day by day and from training to training.
āMy short-term goal is to stay healthy, have a great preparation and put my best foot forward to be selected for the team.
āOnce I secure a spot on this team, I feel like the sky is the limit.
'I've been on the worst side but I know what I'm capable of, what I can do in this sport and I can't wait to get the chance to show it to the people.
'I'm not in a hurry either. If it takes time, that's okay.'
Xerri has had a hard time outside the sport and says he barely recognizes the person he used to be.
Xerri believes his biggest mistake was taking everything he had for granted
He says his biggest mistake was taking everything for granted while excelling in the NRL.
āI'm a completely different person now,ā he says.
'To be honest, I didn't know what I had at the time, I wasn't grateful for it.
āI was given everything, I went straight from school to the NRL.
āOnce that was gone, I had to work on a construction site for a few months and that's the reality, that's when I found that when I come back, I'm going to be so grateful to have this second chance.
'No matter how hard those four years were, they made me a stronger person.'