The Newcastle Rugby League match review committee have issued no charges following the first-round melee at Kurri Kurri Sportsground on Saturday but players and clubs could still face sanctions this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The incident, which occurred late in Central’s 26-12 win over Kurri, will now be looked at by a different Newcastle RL committee to determine whether any punishments are handed down to individuals or the two clubs involved.
The Newcastle RL disciplinary committee, which deal 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.
Initially, the Newcastle RL match review committee opted not to lay any specific charges on Monday. Two players, Central’s Nathan Taylor and Kurri’s Jayden Young, were sin-binned straight after the event.
Round two fixtures scheduled for this weekend have Kurri hosting Western Suburbs on Saturday while Central are at home to Lakes on Sunday.
Central will be without prop Jake Finn, who may miss the season with a suspected ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered during the melee.
Meanwhile, reigning Newcastle Rugby League player of the year Blake Gallen will front the judiciary on a grade one reckless tackle charge this Wednesday night.
The Macquarie skipper, put on report during Sunday’s 32-20 loss to Lakes at Cahill Oval, faces a two-match ban if found guilty.
He has no carry over points.
The Scorpions tackle Maitland at Lyall Peacock Filed on Saturday.
The remaining second round encounter has Cessnock up against South Newcastle.