Morley Gets 7 For Kneeing
The Age
Thursday July 27, 2006
SYDNEY Rooster Adrian Morley's NRL career ended last night after an incident the prop described as a "brain snap" and a "real stupid thing to do".
Morley was suspended for seven matches at the NRL judiciary after his controversial kneeing of Bulldogs player Corey Hughes last Saturday night. Morley's legal team sought the help of Bulldogs forward Willie Mason in their defence - the NSW and Australian player submitted a letter to the hearing that, while not condoning the incident, vouched for Morley's character. Morley, speaking for the first time publicly about the incident, which occurred in the 67th minute of the Roosters' 25-0 loss to the Bulldogs, described his act as "very regretful". The 29-year-old said he lashed out at Hughes because he thought the Bulldogs hooker had punched teammate Ashley Harrison, who was at marker. "Corey Hughes got up to play the ball, and I thought he threw a punch at Ashley Harrison," Morley told the hearing. "He made a shoving motion. I was behind. I got an impaired view. (But) I thought he threw a punch." Morley also revealed the Roosters had put him up at a hotel in the days leading up to the hearing because of the significant publicity generated by the case. The Great Britain prop, who is leaving the Roosters for English Super League club Warrington at the end of the season, admitted the act was "unacceptable". "I certainly didn't intend to knee him," Morley said. "Obviously the video shows it there, but that wasn't my intention. It was very regretful, a real stupid thing to do - a brain snap, really." The NRL's counsel had sought a suspension of between seven and nine matches while Morley's counsel Geoff Bellew asked for five games to allow Morley a final farewell NRL outing with the Roosters.After an hour-long hearing, the three-man panel of Bob Lindner, Mark Coyne and Jason Stevens took 10 minutes to torpedo that request, but offered him a Tri-Nations lifeline. As it stands, Morley will miss six Roosters games and one Tri-Nations match. But with Britain intending to play a practice match in Newcastle, Morley and his representatives will now lobby judiciary chairman Greg Woods to include that game as part of his suspension, meaning he would be free to take part in all of the Tri-Nations Tests. Mason's letter and a character reference from Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan, detailing Morley's charity work, were key components of his defence. Mason wrote that he did not condone the actions but Morley "would be the first person to admit it was a stupid act and no matter the outcome of the judiciary hearing, it will be something he will deeply regret for the rest of his life . . . I am writing in support of Adrian because I have a lot of respect for him as a person and as one of the toughest players in the toughest competition in the world. "I respectfully hope that the NRL judiciary takes leniency when considering Adrian's penalty." NRL counsel Peter Kite compared the incident to Greg Bird's kneeing of Souths winger Shane Marteene in 2004, which resulted in a 10-match suspension for the Sharks back-rower - but he conceded that Morley's offence was less serious. Bellew argued that Morley's actions were instantaneous, while Bird's were premeditated. But Kite said that even if Morley was responding to actions by Hughes, "it's clearly not the role of the players to take into their own hands the laws of the game, seeking vengeance and retribution".
© 2006 The Age