Most NRL footballers admit rugby league has a binge drinking culture and almost a third know of a player using recreational drugs, according to Rugby League's Week annual poll.

The 21st player's poll, in the issue of RLW on sale Wednesday, gave 100 players the opportunity to anonymously voice opinions about the game and its players.

And in a season where several NRL footballers have been involved in alcohol-related incidents resulting in fines, suspensions and sackings, the poll shows that players acknowledge that drinking to excess is common while party drug use continues despite the threat from testing.

More than 60 per cent said there was a culture of binge drinking in the NRL and 29 per cent knew of players using recreational drugs including marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy.

"We can't go to the pub throughout the week, we get one night to hit the grog and we make the most of it," one player told RLW.

While 85 per cent say they have been drug tested at least once and up to five times this year, no-one has tested positive to recreational drugs since Andrew Walker (cocaine) in 2004.

However, one respondent revealed players believe they have developed a system to avoid positive tests.

"If you are tested on Friday night, blokes see it as a green light to party on the rest of the weekend," another player told RLW.

"It's not as if they are going to come and test you again 24 hours later."

RLW editor Martin Lenehan said the results "caught us a bit by surprise" and he expected the NRL to use them as reason to increase its fight against drugs and alcohol.

"This has been a bad year for rugby league," said Lenehan.

"There are too many things that happen as a result of alcohol and we cannot ignore that.

"The NRL takes our results on board, a couple of years ago they acted on our results of the position of women in the game."

While alcohol and drugs issues will get the attention of sports administrators, the NRL might be surprised to note that 63 per cent of players don't think the NRL is doing enough to keep star players from switching to rugby union.

"That was an interesting result, but I'm not sure what more the NRL can do," said Lenehan.

Meanwhile the player ratings brought no respite for besieged NSW halves Braith Anasta and Brett Finch, already facing calls to be sacked for the deciding third State of Origin game after last week's loss in Brisbane.

Anasta was nominated as the game's most over-rated player for the fourth time in the seven years the poll has asked the controversial question.

Anasta got 30 per cent of the vote with St George Illawarra's prop Jason Ryles (12 per cent) second.

Finch took two unwelcome titles, being labelled the game's biggest sook and sharing the inaugural biggest sledger award with Eels hooker Mark Riddell.

To no one's surprise, Newcastle captain Andrew Johns regained the mantle as the game's best player.

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