Newton played for Leeds, Wigan, Bradford and Wakefield

Outgoing Wakefield captain Jason Demetriou believes the Rugby Football League's counselling services did not go far enough to help Terry Newton.

Former Great Britain hooker Newton, who was serving a two-year doping ban, was found hanged on Sunday.

Demetriou told BBC Radio Leeds: "The RFL offer counselling but it doesn't go far enough.

"I don't really know what the RFL offered Terry, but the word coming out sounds like they didn't do enough."

Newton, who played for Leeds, Wigan, Bradford and Wakefield, was serving his ban for taking banned growth hormone HGH and Demetriou - his former skipper at Belle Vue - believes more warning about drugs needs to be provided to players.

"You are given a book and are told to take it home and read it. But to be honest it's all jargon and most players throw it in the bin when they leave the changing rooms," said Demetriou.

"No one sits down with you and explains the dangers and potential implications.

"Counselling is offered, but I'm not sure it's followed up. It's not as good as it could be.

The actual game does nothing to look after these players and help us out. The educational side of the game is not as big as people think it is Jamie Bloem

"After this, I just hope anyone who thinks about taking these short of drugs realises the impact it has on not just your life and your family's life.

"I'm pretty sure that's something Terry struggled to deal with and unfortunately he's paid too big a price.

"I just hope people remember him for the great career he had and not for the fact that he was banned."

Former Huddersfield and Halifax forward Jamie Bloem was also banned for drug taking in 1994.

He believes guilty players are treated as outcasts at a point when they need the most help.

Bloem explained: "This is my biggest bug bear in sport at the moment.

"In rugby league you test positive for a banned substance, you've done wrong, you put your hand up and you take your ban as I did, as Terry did, and as many others have.

"But the actual game does nothing to look after these players and help us out.

"The educational side of the game is not as big as people think it is.

"In football you look at someone like Paul Merson or Paul Gascoigne. These people are high-profile people, much more high profile than we are or would ever hope to be.

"But they were looked after when their drink and drugs problems came out.

"The Football Association looked after them. There is nothing like that in rugby league.

"Maybe this could have been averted if there was some kind of system set up where we can look after players who have done wrong.

"Gareth Hock is another high profile player to be done, but I believe that Wigan are standing by him and are helping him along.

"They have put him in a drugs help system and he goes to schools to talk about his experiences.

"Now this needs to be put in throughout the game and maybe this tragedy could have been stopped."

RFL spokesman John Ledger said: "Every registered rugby league player has access to counselling services if they want them and at the start of every year they are given an information pack with details of those offers.

"Terry will have been reminded of that counselling service. The RFL were also in dialogue with Terry about his offer to get involved with speaking to youngsters about the dangers of drugs.

"Nothing had been resolved but it was an open dialogue and we were still speaking to him about it."

Newton, who had been running a pub in Wigan since his contract with Wakefield was terminated in February, remained in contact with his former team-mates right up to his death.

"People in rugby league stayed close to him," added Ledger. "He was not left high and dry."

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