Johns to contest severity of NRL charge

[Canteen Worker]

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 3:44 PM

Newcastle captain Andrew Johns will contest the severity of his grade three contrary conduct charge at the NRL judiciary on Wednesday night.

Johns pleaded guilty to his grade three contrary conduct charge for allegedly verbally abusing a touch judge during his side's controversial loss to Manly on Friday night, but is contesting the severity of the grading.

The Knights halfback would have received a three-match ban with an early guilty plea, but risks being sidelined for four games if he is unsuccessful in seeking a downgrade.

A four-match ban means Johns will not be available for Newcastle until the third week of the play-offs.
Source: AAP

 

[Nutzcraw]

I was just saying today that the logical thing to do would be to fight it...

if he took the early plea they would still be knocked out before he got back.. might aswell charge it and miss the first round next year if he is found guilty.

 

[PJ]

he could miss the first two rounds if they really bum out without him :lol:

 

[c_eagle]

The grand finalists get home games and are also allowed to choose their opponents. Watch teams trip over themselves to pick the Knights if he is suspended for week 1 of 07.

 

[Barks]

it'll be downgraded....3 weeks is a bit much and it's the wrong time to make an example of someone.

give him a week or 2 suspension and fine him or put some hours in junior rugby league clinics.

a fair dinkum finals series shouldn't have Joey rubbed out for losing his cool.

 

[Downie]

If he gets the 4 week suspension and it carries over into next year, he can use the 1 or 2 match ban he still has on NRL sanctioned trials I believe.

 

[Matabele]

A sweetheart deal has been done.

1. NRL says "we can't have our poster boy doing that"

2. We will charge him wink wink.

3. Joey will appeal severity

4. Joey will play finals as we really can't do without him.

Pathetic Mr Gallop.

 

[Nutzcraw]

it'll be downgraded....3 weeks is a bit much and it's the wrong time to make an example of someone.

give him a week or 2 suspension and fine him or put some hours in junior rugby league clinics.

a fair dinkum finals series shouldn't have Joey rubbed out for losing his cool.

best reply about this issue so far... agreed

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

piss him off , he is turning into a real sore loser, time for him to go

 

[toovs]

that is right knights have been saying it is a game for men they should act like men not 2 year olds piss him off

 

[Matabele]

When I was playing football one of my team mates used exactly the same term on a referee. He was scrubbed out for 8 weeks and was made an example of on the local news bulletins which was very embarassing for him given that he was a prominent local businessman. He was playing for the love of the game.

Johns is the highest paid player in the game and was warned about this issue just three weeks ago.

Stiff **** to Johns I say. If they downgrade his sentence you can be sure I will be amongst the first to fire an email in to Gallop and his lilly livered cronies.

 

[Ryan]

Here here Mata - imagine old Hoppa (Johns) and Tezza (Buderus) doing the same thing in early 05. What would have happened to Hoppa I wonder???

 

[DSM5]

From memory he got nine weeks.