Trio face stiff bans Video footage of all-in brawl presented

ROWAN SPARKES

HEFTY suspensions are imminent after on-field incidents marred a rugby league trial match on the weekend.

The Cairns and District Rugby League has vowed to come down hard on three Tully Tigers members – two Agrade players and a LeagueSafe officer – after damning video footage of their involvement in a game-ending all-in brawl was presented to the match review committee.

After repeated acts of foul play had already left a blemish on the game, a major brawl erupted in the third quarter at Tully Showgrounds when a Crushers player was allegedly collected in a head-high tackle before copping another shot while lying on the ground.

After the fiery fracas finally fizzled out, the referee made the decision to abandon the rest of the match.

CDRL secretary/operations manager Pat Bailey said the incident had brought the game into disrepute and the league would take a hardline stance on players committing foul play.

“We’ve dealt with it heavily because we just can’t afford with the way everything is now to have foul play,” she said.

“We don’t care if everybody hates us, but we’re just going to stamp it out early.

“These days, with injuries and things like that, we just have to make sure that everybody is protected as much as possible when they’re playing.”

Bailey said both clubs provided footage of the incident.

“They were both from different angles, so we actually could have a good look at it,” she said. “It just wasn’t nice.”

CDRL president Colin Moore was “disappointed”.

He said he was at a loss as to how things transpired the way that they did.

“The sad part about this one, it was just a trial game,” he said.

“I can’t understand why the players didn’t treat it as such. I don’t know what the basis behind it was. Going by our competition, I think it’s really out of character for Tully.”

Bailey said the offending players and trainer could not be identified, as they had not yet received their impending sanctions from the match review committee.

“I can’t tell you until the players know,” she said.

“They’ve got to be given a chance to contest it or take the early guilty plea.

“If they contest it, they’ll go to the judiciary – and they might not be as nice. We haven’t been nice, but they might be worse.”

She said Herbert River president Joe Pennisi, who was seething after the trial match, which he labelled “a f---ing disgrace”, had been made aware of the match review committee’s findings and was “quite happy” with the way it was handled.

Meanwhile, the CDRL has called off all remaining trial games in response to the coronavirus crisis.

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