Kurri Kurri and Central Newcastle players will not face any charges following an ugly melee at Kurri Kurri Sportsground on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The decision clears the way for the Bulldogs to have a full squad available for club legend Mick Campton’s 300th game when Kurri Kurri face Western Suburbs at Kurri Kurri Sportsground on Saturday.
Bulldogs secretary Jeff Polglase and Butcher Boys president Terry Bryden confirmed the Newcastle Rugby League match review committee had decided against laying any charges against players.
Two players, Central’s Nathan Taylor and Kurri’s Jayden Young, were sin-binned straight after the event.
Polglase and Bryden said it was their understanding that the players would not face the threat of suspension from a separate investigation by the Newcastle RL disciplinary committee, but the clubs may face penalties.
Both men apologised on behalf of their clubs for the ugly scenes which led to Central’s star recruit Jake Finn sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) when pulled from the melee.
Polglase, who is in Canberra until Wednesday, said the club was disappointed and would make it clear to the playing group that such incidents would not be tolerated.
He said the club would discuss what, if any, action would be taken against individuals after the disciplinary committee’s decision was handed down.
Bryden said the club would decide if further action was required after the disciplinary committee’s decision.
He said he believed the match review committee had been unable to lay any specific charges as the video evidence was not conclusive.
“We are disappointed that Jake was injured as a result of the melee. There was no intention to deliberately injure him but if the melee had not taken place he would not have been injured,” he said.
The Newcastle RL disciplinary committee, which deals more specifically with code of conduct breaches and bringing the game into disrepute, are set to read official match reports and watch the replay before informing clubs of any action by close of business on Wednesday.
According to the melee policy in the Newcastle RL rules and regulations, if found guilty players may be subject to penalties or suspension while both Kurri and Central may be fined up to $1000 for a first offence.
Internal club rulings may also be taken into consideration when drawing a conclusion.
