Veteran Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy says he's shocked by reports painkiller abuse is rife among NRL players.
Speaking after the overdose of Souths duo Dylan Walker and Aaron Walker, which left them both seriously ill in hospital, Bellamy said he wasn't aware it was an issue.
"I don't think it's rife, from my experience, but having said that we are down here and a bit isolated from the rest of the NRL world," Bellamy said.
"I've seen or heard about glimpses of it but I didn't think it was a real big issue."
Bellamy said he expected the NRL to fully investigate the alleged misuse of prescription drugs.
"We don't want this in our game and we don't want it happening to our young men either."
He said players needed to be educated and also take some responsibility for their actions.
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