Banned Ross agrees with Finch decision
By Iain Payten
September 17, 2004
BANNED Penrith forward Ben Ross has given his stamp of approval to the judiciary's clearance of Brett Finch to play in this year's finals.
Ross, who was outed for six matches for a grade three dangerous throw in late July, said he agreed with the NRL's decision to allow Finch to escape sanction on a similar charge.
Finch had a grade two dangerous throw on Canberra's Clinton Schifcofske downgraded on Wednesday night and will not miss any games due to an early guilty plea.
"I didn't think it was that bad so I thought it was fair enough. I am pleased for him getting off and being able to play I suppose," Ross said.
Because Penrith earned this weekend off, Ross's hopes of serving his last two weeks of suspension before a grand final were dashed.
Combined with a three-week striking penalty, Ross was suspended for nine weeks in total.
The 23-year-old prop said he was gutted with the way his season ended, and reading about Finch only brought it home further.
"People have been saying mine wasn't that much worse. There were three blokes in my tackle, and he was on his own," Ross said.
"But if the boys had to risk losing and not making it through to the grand final for me to come back, I didn't want that. If the boys win the comp then I'll be really happy for them."
Former NRL judiciary commissioner Jim Hall, who defended Ross, said although he too agreed with the outcome of the Finch case it highlighted the mis-grading of Ross's tackle.
"The one I feel sorry for is Ben Ross who got a grade four and will miss the grand final possibly, and I don't think he was even as bad as Finch. That one was just a bad decision," he said.
The exoneration of Finch prompted debate within the league community with fans divided on talkback radio yesterday.
Greg McCallum, head of the NRL match review committee, said he had no problem with his original grading being amended at the judiciary.
"We have charged 22 players with throwing tackles this season and we believed [Finch's] case was a grade two," he said.
"We are governed by precedent in our charging process, but it is done at the start of the week. We then present a prima facie case to the prosecution based on video.
"We do not hear both sides of the story, with the defence raised by a player."
McCallum said Ross's heavy sanction was entirely justified and in line with the 15 clubs' common edict to "impose deterrent penalties" on highly dangerous lifting tackles.
Brisbane chief executive Bruno Cullen said he was "interested" to see Finch and Bulldogs captain Steve Price let off without bans.
"All I can say is we would have loved to had a similar result last year when Petero Civoniceva and Andrew Gee were rubbed out for a few weeks in the finals," he said.
The Daily Telegraph
