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NRL chairman John Grant says Ben Flower’s brutal attack on Lance Hohaia in the Super League grand final is proof that the NRL’s ‘one punch and you are off’ edict is necessary.
Flower’s two-punch assault on St Helens playmaker Hohaia resulted in the Wigan forward being sent off just three minutes into Saturday’s (Sunday AEDT) decider at Old Trafford.
The 26-year-old Flower punched a defenceless Hohaia a second time as he lay sprawled on the turf in images that have shocked the rugby league world.
NRL boss David Smith has worn the blunt of repeated criticism over his no-punching edict, with some commentators saying it has led to more niggling in the game.
Canterbury utility Reni Maitua and Manly forward Josh Starling were both sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes for punching in the sides’ semi-final clash, in two refereeing rulings that were widely canned.
But Grant said the Flower incident was proof that brawling could no longer be considered a part of rugby league and a ban on the biff was needed.
“I have been around for a long time and I grew up playing in the era when there were frequently brawls in games and it was seen as part of the game but everyone is just appalled by what they saw,” Grant said on Tuesday of the Flower incident in St Helens’ 14-6 win.
“It was in technicolour and he had an opportunity not to do the second punch and I think, when you saw him (Flower) going off, he just didn’t know what hit him – he was really distressed.
“I am not necessarily going to try and gain an advantage in terms of decision and rule making but, when you see that watching our game these days, it is just unacceptable.
“It is not a good look.”
Welsh international Flower faces a disciplinary hearing in Leeds on Tuesday.
Greater Manchester Police have deferred a decision on whether to refer the incident to the Crown Prosecution Service, a move which might result in Flower facing criminal charges.
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