After an agonising 24-wait, Manly forward Glenn Stewart was last night suspended for three matches for his role in the ugly brawl that marred Manly’s 18-4 over Melbourne last weekend.
Along with Melbourne’s Adam Blair, Stewart had been the instigator in the fight, and received the same three-match ban that Blair had received.
The only difference being, Blair had been hit with an additional two for the on-field altercation that had led to both he and Stewart being sent to the sin bin.
It capped off an extraordinary six-day long saga, with the explosive events on the field matched by some equally explosive moves at the judiciary.
In what was either strange circumstances or a brilliant tactical move by Manly, Stewart’s original legal counsel Christopher Branson QC had abruptly quit the case on the Wednesday, forcing the adjoirnment.
Due to the “exceptional” nature of the case, Stewart was able to change his initial plea of not guilty to guilty, allowing a 25 per cent discount which brought his ban down to three matches.
While Stewart said he was “disappointed” after the result was handed down, privately he will no doubt be smiling.
Should Manly progress to either the grand final, or the preliminary final after a first-week loss, Stewart will be free to join his team-mates, while his fellow aggressor Blair is consigned to the sidelines for the remainder of the year.
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