SIX players will face a Country Rugby League (CRL) judiciary hearing next week as the fallout from the Astley Cup brawl continues.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The rugby league match between Dubbo College senior campus and Orange High School during the annual school sporting event last Thursday was abandoned roughly 15 minutes from time after the fight, which left one student from Orange in hospital with a suspected fractured eye socket and broken nose.
CRL chief executive Terry Quinn said yesterday an independent panel heavily investigated the manner and viewed the footage of the incident several times before notifying six players they will face charges.
“We’ve completed the investigation and six have been named for a hearing early next week,” he said.
“They’ve been notified to attend if they’re not away on school holidays.”
It is unclear at this stage how many of the six players are from each school but Quinn said they will face a range of punishments.
“They’ll range from the serious to warnings and a chat about the rules but hopefully they’ll learn a lesson from it because it’s not what we want to see,” he said.
The blanket ban which suspended all players involved in the Astley Cup match from playing their club football last week has been lifted meaning all players, except the six facing charges, can return to the field this weekend.
