Fuifui faces 12-week ban
By Steve Mascord
June 13, 2006
NRL prosecutors are set to demand a ban of 12 weeks for Parramatta prop Fuifui Moimoi when he fronts the judiciary tonight on a biting charge.
The Eels prop had his case referred straight to the judiciary by the NRL match review committee yesterday.
With two high-tackle suspensions last year, it's understood Moimoi's only hope of escaping three months on the sidelines is to plead guilty or beat the charge before the tribunal.
He would still have to front the disciplinary committee with a guilty plea but it is likely prosecutor Peter Kite would then recommend a more lenient nine or 10-week suspension.
South Sydney centre Adam MacDougall, meanwhile, is facing a four to six-week suspension for striking Brisbane's Darius Boyd.
Discussing the referred charge against Moimoi, chief video reviewer Greg McCallum said: "The player lodged the complaint correctly with the referee, the referee and touch judge witnessed it and the player and referee have lodged official reports.
"The video review committee viewed all available angles and given all the evidence, referred the charge to the tribunal."
In deciding what suspension to recommend in an ungraded charge, the judiciary takes into consideration other ungraded recent charges, such as those meted out to John Hopoate, Danny Williams and Greg Bird.
While Moimoi's two marathon suspensions last year are not involved in any mathematical calculation by Kite, they are taken into account when he recommends a suspension to the panel.
But the judiciary is free to hand down whatever penalty it sees fit.
With Origin II taking place at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night, the hearing will be staged tonight.
Parramatta players claimed during and after the game that they were the subject of Storm grapple tackles but Eels chief executive Denis Fitzgerald would not comment on whether this would form part of Moimoi's defence.
Speaking before the matter was referred yesterday, Eels lock Glenn Morrison said: "I spoke to Fui and he said he didn't do anything.
"That's not in his nature at all."
The last player found guilty of biting was Cronulla's Chris Beattie in 2001.
He was suspended for two matches. The most recent official biting allegation was from Newcastle's Josh Perry against St George Illawarra's Luke Bailey but the Dragons prop was found not guilty.
The longest suspension for biting was eight matches, meted out to the Bulldogs' Jarrod McCracken for an offence against South Sydney's Ross Harrington in 1991.
Eels five-eighth John Morris added: "I still don't know what happened and Fui seems like he's pretty amazed by it."
White showed referee Paul Simpkins a mark on his left bicep when making the 56th- minute on-field complaint during the 34-22 loss at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday.
The Daily Telegraph