NRL Judiciary penalises 10 players after State of Origin brawl

The NRL Judiciary has handed out penalties to 10 players after Wednesday night’s State of Origin decider, which ended in a 14-4 victory for New South Wales.

A range of bans and fines were announced on Thursday morning, with the majority stemming from the all-in brawl that erupted in the first half.

The fight occurred at the 31-minute mark, with Daly Cherry-Evans and Jerome Luai initially clashing out on the wing.

With the pair engaged in a heated exchange, both sides piled in to escalate the disagreement. The action spilled over the sideline, with equipment getting knocked over and bench players getting involved.

Cameron Murray was a key culprit, running into the melee from the bench and receiving a yellow card for his troubles.

Jeremiah Nanai was also sin-binned for his role in the brawl.

Capewell and Olakau’atu receive big penalties

Queensland’s Kurt Capewell was punished for two separate incidents in the first half, receiving a hefty fine.

The first was a tip-tackle on Stephen Crichton, while the second was for a high shot on Mitchell Moses.

Blues player Haumole Olakau’atu was handed an even harsher punishment, getting a two-game ban for his involvement in the first-half scrap.

The 19th man was not even playing on Wednesday night, but he joined in the festivities when matters erupted in front of him on the sideline.

Olakau’atu said he was just “trying to help a brother out”, but he will not be seeing any action for a fortnight as a result.

“There was more maroon than blue, so I was just being a friend,” he explained.

“I’ve only met these guys through footy, but to get to know them on a deeper level in camp, it’s a special thing. I wish nothing but the best for all of them.

“There was a whole heap of maroon. I’m just happy the boys got up. I’m happy the boys got the shield to take back home.

“But I’d do the same thing in clubland, 100%… If it’s one of my brothers at Manly, I’d definitely be in the picture to help them out.”

Olakau’atu was also prevented from remaining on the sideline for the rest of the match and could not join his teammates in raising the shield on field afterwards.

The New South Wales victory came as +100 underdogs with rugby league bookmakers, playing in front of a hostile Queensland crowd at Suncorp Stadium.

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