In brief:
An NRL judiciary has handed Dragons participant Kyle Flanagan a four-game ban after he was discovered responsible of biting Stephen Crichton.
Bulldogs captain Crichton made the accusation in opposition to Flanagan following Canterbury’s win over St George on Saturday.
What’s subsequent?
The Dragons are at residence this weekend in opposition to the Gold Coast Titans, whereas the Bulldogs face the Dolphins in Bundaberg.
Kyle Flanagan has been hit with a four-game ban after being discovered responsible of biting Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton’s nostril
The NRL judiciary’s resolution is a critical blow to St George Illawarra’s finals hopes.
It means the St George Illawarra five-eighth won’t play once more this season until the ninth-placed Dragons attain the finals.
A gutted Flanagan was advised of his destiny after a two-hour course of on Tuesday evening.
Flanagan mentioned on a number of events in the course of the listening to he “undoubtedly didn’t chew Stephen Crichton”, and in addition claimed he didn’t know a nostril was in his mouth.
He then repeated his argument to media ready outdoors the listening to and insisted he was not a unclean participant.
“I did not chew Stephen Crichton,” Flanagan mentioned as he left NRL headquarters.
“However I thank them for a good listening to and my focus is on the Dragons for the subsequent 4 weeks.”
Dragons CEO Ryan Webb additionally reiterated his disappointment with the decision in a press release afterwards.
The Dragons five-eighth was as a substitute adamant he was the preliminary sufferer within the incident, feeling pressured by Bulldogs defenders and poked within the eye by Crichton’s nostril.
“Crichton moved his head ahead to suffocate my face with a smothering feeling,” Flanagan advised the panel.
“I felt trapped and locked in. I felt like I had nowhere else to go after which I used a crocodile method to roll over and play the ball for my workforce.”
Flanagan additionally claimed his eyes have been closed on the time of the incident, and he had an involuntary partial closing of his mouth.
“I partially closed my jaw. I didn’t chew Stephen Crichton,” Flanagan mentioned.
“I did not trigger these accidents.”
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His lawyer, James McLeod, argued Crichton precipitated the cuts on his nostril when he brushed it in opposition to Flanagan’s enamel as he tried to take away it from the mouth.
However the panel of Henry Perenara and Greg McCallum sided with NRL counsel Lachlan Gyles, who advised Flanagan had been answerable for placing Crichton’s nostril inside his mouth.
“At a time limit when Crichton’s head was transferring upward, his nostril is held again and compressed in your mouth and is then launched,” Gyles mentioned.
“Crichton is placing stress in your face and performing aggressive to you, in a manner you did not like.
“The explanation his nostril got here into your mouth was since you moved your head to the left. It was your transfer that put his nostril in your mouth.
“You clenched your jaw, so what was between the underside enamel and mouthguard was Stephen Crichton’s nostril.”
The decision got here regardless of Crichton not making himself obtainable for the listening to, which drew a powerful rebuke from McLeod.
“It is extraordinary and one thing that needs to be taken into consideration,” McLeod mentioned.
“Whenever you’ve bought footage that’s inconclusive and you have a whole absence of proof from the complainant when it is clear he is ready to give some perception into what has occurred, then it is a matter that highlights the shortage of supporting proof that you’d want for this cost.”
Flanagan’s father and Dragons coach Shane was not in attendance, with Kyle flanked by St George Illawarra CEO Ryan Webb and soccer boss Ben Haran.
The Saints should now discover one other five-eighth to aim to steer them into the finals, with Jack Fowl named on the bench to face Gold Coast on Sunday.
Ranked ninth on the NRL ladder, the Dragons have just one extra recreation in opposition to a workforce ranked above them this season.
AAP
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