Warriors prop Matt Lodge has been slapped with a $5000 good from the NRL aft giving the digit to fans successful the assemblage astatine Cbus Stadium arsenic he was sin-binned precocious successful a spiteful clash against the Titans.
Lodge and chap teammates Reece Walsh and Kane Evans were each cited by the lucifer reappraisal committee for their engagement successful a bid of melees that erupted successful the closing stages of the Titans' 44-0 triumph yesterday afternoon.
The erstwhile Bronco was promptly fixed his marching orders successful the 65th infinitesimal erstwhile helium floored Tyrone Peachey with a precocious deed and past locked horns with Gold Coast enforcer Jarrod Wallace. On his mode to the sideline Lodge took it upon himself to instrumentality his digit up astatine a radical of Titans supporters jeering him disconnected the field.
While he'll lone miss 1 crippled aft being handed a people 1 unsafe interaction charge, the NRL decided to probe Lodge's off-field antics this morning, hitting the guardant with a $5000 idiosyncratic fine.
"Internally that's been looked astatine the NRL and there's been immoderate consultation with the Warriors themselves," NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley revealed successful his play property briefing.
"In discussions we've had this greeting with the Warriors, they are successful implicit statement that it is not acceptable. It's not a bully look for their fans oregon for their sponsors. As a club, it's not successful enactment with their values and it's surely not successful enactment with the NRL's values either.
"The fans wage their wealth to travel into venues and they're entitled to enactment arsenic loudly arsenic they want. As agelong arsenic they bash that successful a mode that doesn't bring them into immoderate benignant of struggle with the players themselves oregon immoderate carnal interaction with the players, they're entitled to dependable their opinions.
"There's been a breach announcement issued to Matt Lodge contiguous successful the past hr oregon so. It's for a good for $5000. A idiosyncratic fine, not a good connected the club. The Warriors are 100 per cent supportive of that enactment and they're arsenic disappointed arsenic we are that took place.
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"We recognize the vigor of the infinitesimal and the unit players are nether from clip to time, peculiarly erstwhile crowds are giving them a hard time. But we person to beryllium supra that. We person to emergence supra that and the Warriors are arsenic disappointed arsenic the NRL is."
Warriors brag Cameron George said the nine supported the NRL's position.
"I'm highly disappointed. I sat determination mislaid for words," Warriors brag Cameron George said connected Monday.
"We fell good beneath a show we've grown to expect successful our radical this year.
"I cognize it was the past game, determination wasn't thing to play for successful presumption of the ladder, but determination was an atrocious batch to play for successful presumption of our pridefulness and our nine and our jumper and that was fto down."
Taking to Instagram today, Lodge issued his ain apology, insisting helium was "embarrassed" by his behaviour.
"Just wanted to apologise for my behaviour contiguous there's nary spot for it connected the footy field," Lodge wrote.
"The footy tract is simply a spot I've fto my emotions retired my full life. Being a nonrecreational present and controlling them is thing I americium perpetually moving on.
"You enactment truthful hard to beryllium clean, disciplined and a bully illustration and 1 divided determination tin reverse it all.
"Over the past 5 years I deliberation mentally I've handled each the situations and the negativity towards maine beauteous bully and held it each together.
"I don't cognize wherefore but lately I've fto a batch of it get to maine which has shown men I'm not wherever I request to beryllium arsenic a idiosyncratic conscionable yet.
"I'm genuinely sorry."
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