NRL News: Norman faces ban for 'doing a Hopoate', Knights lack leaders, Hunt re-signs, Finch pleads guilty

Former Queensland representative Corey Norman is facing an eight-match ban after he was charged with doing John Hopoate’s infamous tactic of sticking his finger up an opponent’s backside.

Norman, who is playing with Toulouse Olympique in the Super League after being shown the door by St George Illawarra at the end of the last NRL season, was charged with Grade F contrary conduct, the most serious charge in the English judiciary system.

WATCH THE INCIDENT IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

He is alleged to have done the unsavoury act during a tackle on Warrington’s Oliver Holmes during last week’s 32-18 loss and was placed on report by referee Chris Kendall.

Norman had been engaged in a running battle with Holmes for several plays, before a lengthy hold-down in a tackle on Thursday night.

The former NRL star’s hand can then be seen reaching towards Holmes’ buttocks, before a complaint is immediately lodged by the Warrington lock.

When play was stopped on the next tackle for a separate penalty, the touch judge informed the referee of an allegation of misconduct. Norman was then placed on report for “inappropriate contact”.

The RFL can suspend him for longer than eight games, according to The Sun. With four matches left in the season, Norman’s team is in a battle to avoid relegation after being promoted to the Super League this year.

Toulouse half Corey Norman. (Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images)

The 31-year-old half may have played his last game at the professional level if he is banned.

Hopoate brought unwanted global attention to the NRL in 2001 when he was found guilty of repeatedly sticking his fingers up the backsides of opponents in an attempt to provoke a reaction in one of the most bizarre acts in rugby league history.

Playing for the Wests Tigers at the time, he was banned 12 matches with the NRL judiciary commissioner Jim Hall describing his actions as the worst he had seen in more than four decades involved in the sport.

Corey Norman’s incident against Warrington.

“I’ve never come across a more disgusting allegation than I’ve had to deal with now,” he said when handing down the punishment.

Norman came out of retirement in April to take up a one-year deal with Toulouse who have struggled to compete in the Super League.

He played 228 NRL matches during stints with Brisbane, Parramatta and the Dragons while also making an appearance for the Maroons in the 2019 State of Origin series.

Ponga in hot water for toilet incident

Newcastle’s head of football Peter Parr has conceded the club’s off-field issues are “self-inflicted” and indicative of a “lack of leadership” in the playing group after a video emerged of co-captain Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann being escorted out of a toilet cubicle by security.

The Knights told AAP they were made aware of the Snapchat video on Sunday night and on Monday, the club began an investigation that has now been handed over to the NRL integrity unit.

The integrity unit will work to ascertain the reason the pair were escorted from the toilet cubicle and whether any punishment needs to be enforced. Parr’s press conference on Tuesday was the second time he has fronted the media to address a disciplinary matter since joining the Knights on July 27.

Parr called a similar meeting after former State of Origin prop David Klemmer was stood down for verbally abusing a trainer mid-game in round 20. Parr revealed outside backs Enari Tuala and Bradman Best had been dropped for being late for the team bus in Brisbane on Sunday. The pair will play in the NSW Cup this weekend.

“We just believe that they didn’t meet the standards necessary,” Parr told reporters.

The off-field matters have been underscored by a disappointing season on the field, which has resulted in the Knights missing the finals for the first time since 2019.

“We’re going through a tough period at the moment and just about all of it is self-inflicted,” Parr said. “We have to own that and work out how we’re going to get better. There is no doubt we need to improve the current standards and we need to improve them quickly if we’re going to turn the club around.”

Parr admitted the club was struggling but said it was “way too early” to determine whether Ponga would lose the captaincy.

(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

“There has been a lack of leadership around the playing group,” he said.

“I have some sympathy for young people thrust into leadership roles. They’re not always going to get it right. It’s our job to help them and to educate them.

“I wouldn’t say (the video) is great look but all the facts haven’t been established yet, so let’s wait until the process is finished and let the integrity unit do what they need to do.”

Ponga is sidelined until the end of the season after suffering his third head knock in six weeks during round 19, but appeared to be drinking alcohol in the video.

Parr defended the fullback and was confident he and Mann were not consuming illicit substances in the cubicle. “There’s been no direction given to Kalyn that he couldn’t drink. He’s not breaking any rules,” he said.

“Let’s establish how much he actually had and what his behaviour was like. The indications to me are that (Ponga and Mann were not taking illicit substances), so I have to be confident that’s the case.”

Parr said he expected the integrity unit would conclude its findings sooner rather than later.

Hunt inks deal with Sharks

Cronulla prop Royce Hunt has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until at least the end of next season.

The 25-year-old is in career-best form, becoming a mainstay of the Sharks’ forward rotation this year after injury and COVID lockdowns stymied his first two seasons at the club.

Hunt scored a try against Wests Tigers on his return from a short-term shoulder injury last week and looks set for more opportunities now that Toby Rudolf has gone down with a MCL injury.

The former Canberra Raider has played 31 of 32 his first-grade games in black, blue and white and is a strong chance of feature in the finals for the first time come September.

“I love what the club is building and what we are building as a team, so I’m happy to stay around and to be a part of that for next year,” Hunt said.

As he has only signed until the end of next year, Hunt is free to negotiate with rivals for 2024 from November 1.

Finch pleads guilty to charge, six others withdrawn

Former NRL star Brett Finch has pleaded guilty to sharing child sexual abuse material.

The 40-year-old appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, when he entered the plea to one charge of using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote abusive material.

Six other similar charges were withdrawn.

Finch was arrested in December 2021 and was one of eight men accused of being involved in a telephone chat line where police allege they discussed sexually abusing children and swapped material depicting abuse.

Bail is continued for Finch ahead of a hearing in September in the District Court where he’s expected to be sentenced.

Finch played three State of Origins for NSW in an NRL career that also included three grand finals.

He won a premiership with Melbourne in 2009, but his crowning moment came in the 2006 Origin opener when he kicked a match-winning field goal for the Blues.

However, his post-football life has been dogged by mental health issues and time in rehab, with Finch publicly speaking about his drug use and battles with addiction.

Outside court on Tuesday, his lawyer Paul McGirr referred to Finch’s mental health issues in his case.

“It is explainable to the position he was in at that stage, as opposed to the position he’s in now receiving ongoing treatment for his mental health,” Mr McGirr told AAP.

He added that the police investigation had not revolved around Finch.

“He doesn’t know any of the co-accused or they never communicated.”

Annesley says Dragons decision on siren was correct

The NRL says referee Adam Gee was correct in not paying a last-second penalty to St George Illawarra in the loss to Canberra that officially ended their finals hopes.

Down 24-22 on Sunday afternoon, the Dragons were on the attack through winger Mathew Feagai, who broke the line before being tackled 15 metres from the tryline by Raiders forward Corey Harawira-Naera.

Feagai attempted to stand and play the ball to give his team one last chance to score but appeared to be illegally held down by Harawira-Naera, who was likely hoping to slow the game down in the dying seconds.

But referee Gee blew the game to an end, denying the Dragons a penalty and sealing a two-point win for the Raiders that officially ended the joint venture’s playoff aspirations.

The Dragons defeated the Raiders in similar circumstances in round 16, with Ben Hunt deliberately lying on Canberra’s Joe Tapine in a tackle to help his side hold on for their own two-point win.

But on Monday, the NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley said the referee made the right call in the rematch, saying no penalty should have been awarded to Feagai.

On-field referees rely on a timekeeper speaking through their earpiece, not the game clock seen on TV, to know when full-time must be called.

As a result, there is sometimes a slight lag between the timekeeper officially bringing the game to an end and the broadcast game clock expiring. 

Annesley said Feagai could not earn a penalty for being held down in the ruck, because by the time he stood up to attempt to play the ball, the referee had already brought the game to an end.

“Any technical infringement that might take place by the defender is irrelevant because the ball hasn’t been brought back into play (because the game has ended),” Annesley told reporters.

“And the referee can’t extend the play for a technical infringement to award a penalty.”

The Dragons had lost their captain’s challenge by the last play of the game but had they not, they could have challenged the referee’s decision to blow full-time.

But Annesley said a captain’s challenge would have been unsuccessful, because with the ball being out of play, the referee was correct in blowing the game to an end.

“They would have lost their challenge had they had one because time had expired and we couldn’t restart the game for a technical infringement,” Annesley said.

Annesley also pointed out that Feagai knocked the ball on in the tackle.

“Not only could we not have restarted play because the tackle had been completed, but we could also not have restarted play because they knocked on in the ruck,” he said.

The two-point victory keeps the Raiders’ finals hopes alive. 

Canberra likely need to win their last three games and hope the Roosters lose two of theirs in order to secure a spot in the finals.

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