Angus Crichton will be free to line up for the Roosters’ Round 1 clash with the Dolphins next season despite a one-match ban hanging over his head from the Rugby League World Cup.
That’s thanks to an International Rugby League loophole that allows players to serve bans in trial games.
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Crichton was hit with a Grade B reckless striking charge for his elbow on Samoa’s Chanel Harris-Tavita in the final, which carries a two-game ban.
Hrris-Tavita was wiped out of the game and Crichton was sin-binned for the incident in Australia’s 30-10 win at Old Trafford, Manchester.
But the Kangaroos second-rower was able to downgrade it to a Grade A charge at a judiciary hearing on Thursday night.
Crichton will serve his ban during the Roosters’ pre-season trial against the Storm and will be available for the history-making Round 1 clash at Suncorp Stadium — the Dolphins’ first NRL game.
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The 26-year-old was remorseful after the incident and assured fans it was an accident.
“I want to talk to you guys because I want to get this message across, and I want to let his family know that I am genuinely sorry. I want to let the Samoa community know that I had no malice at all,” he said after the game.
“It was just me bracing for a tackle- and it was a freak tackle. As soon as it happened, I spoke to Chanel, and it was honestly just a reaction. I didn’t know that he was coming in and I had not malice at all.”
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Crichton’s incident falls under a different set of rules to the NRL, which instead ensure players serve any bans picked up late in the season in the opening rounds of the following year.
That rule applies for Eels forward Ryan Matterson, who will sit out of the first three rounds of 2023 due to a crusher tackle charge picked up in the grand final. However, the club is hoping to fight the suspension and change it to a $4,000 fine.
