LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton has been charged just three days after his team's loss to the Storm in Melbourne. However, the NRL clarified that this delayed decision is unrelated to the recent controversial powers granted to the Australian Rugby League Commission.
The match review committee faced backlash for not initially charging Crichton for a head-high tackle against Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen, with early speculation indicating he might receive a concerning act notice.
On Monday afternoon, the updated charge sheet revealed a grade 1 contrary conduct charge against Crichton, which would result in a $1,000 fine if he opts for the early guilty plea.
The incident in question occurred in the 27th minute but went unpenalized during the game. Instead, the referee was later instructed to put the Bulldogs skipper on report for the dangerous contact.
This charge marks Crichton's third fine of the season; however, it is not related to the ARLC's new discretionary authority allowing players to be sent directly to the judiciary for offenses missed by the match review committee.
This new move has faced criticism from the Rugby League Players Association. Nonetheless, Crichton's situation falls under a code change implemented back in March 2022, as detailed in the release: "The match review will remain independent, with the NRL CEO and ARL Commission having the ability to refer matters for the MRC to review an incident for charging not already captured by the match review committee."