The NRL has hit NSW’s Haumole Olakau’atu and Cameron Murray with bans of at least two games and handed down $39,000 in fines after the sideline brawl in the State of Origin decider.
NSW’s first series victory in three years soured for Murray and Olakau’atu on Thursday morning as both copped grade-three contrary conduct charges.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: State of Origin ‘turns very ugly’ as melee spills over to bench.
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The pair will be able to accept two-match bans, after they ran in from the Blues’ bench to become involved in the first-half fracas at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
If they contest the suspensions and lose, the bans will extend to three matches.
NSW’s 19th man Olakau’atu was lucky not to cop a longer suspension, with a quirk of the NRL’s rules saving him from having prior offences for Manly blow out his ban to four games.
Jeremiah Nanai, Brian To’o, Reuben Cotter and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow were each hit with $6000 fines for their involvement in the scuffle.
Blues 18th man Matt Burton and prop Payne Haas, who were both on the NSW bench, were fined $3000 each for running in, as was Felise Kaufusi from the Maroons’ interchange.
Each of those fines can be reduced somewhat with an early guilty plea.
Queensland second-rower Kurt Capewell is facing a total of $6000 in fines from the match, on dangerous-throw and dangerous-contact charges from separate incidents.
Notably, Queensland and Brisbane superstar Reece Walsh escaped sanction after he was placed on report for sliding his boot into Stephen Crichton’s face as the Blues centre attempted to score.
The charges come after one of the most dramatic Origin matches in recent memory.
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans was adamant after the game that Murray should have been sent off, rather than sin-binned, for running in off the bench.
“I feel pretty clear that’s pretty unacceptable at any level of footy, but that’s just my thoughts,” he said after the Maroons’ 14-4 home loss.
“I thought we were going to get the penalty … just didn’t get the rub of the green tonight.”
But NSW coach Michael Maguire came to the defence of the Blues pair, suggesting it was a positive they had stuck up for their teammates.
“When you look at that moment, Cam Murray is one of the nicest blokes in the game,” he said.
“He plays the game to perfection. He obviously went down there because he cares for one of his teammates.
“I’ve known Cameron for a long time, never thought he’d jump into something like that, but it just goes to show what the group mean to each other.”
Olakau’atu’s ban comes after he was forced to watch NSW lift the shield from the tunnel, having been evicted from the playing arena by NRL officials after the melee.
He will miss Manly’s clashes against Gold Coast and the Sydney Roosters under the ban in a significant blow to their finals hopes.
“That definitely hurts. We’ve lost probably our best player,” NSW captain and Manly teammate Jake Trbojevic told AAP.
“I suppose it shows you can’t do that. It is what it is.
“It’s obviously a blow for Manly.”