Canberra Raiders winger Daniel Vidot had a ''busted'' knuckle on his right hand that prevented him defending himself with his fists during the fight that cost him a two-game suspension.
Vidot pleaded guilty to a grade-three contrary conduct charge yesterday for attempting to knee Newcastle forward Ben Rogers during the Raiders' 30-14 win on Monday night.
It means he will miss the Raiders' final NRL game of the season against Brisbane on Sunday night, as well as the club's Toyota Cup qualifying final the following week.
Vidot will only play again this year if his under-20s teammates can win that game.
Rogers accepted a three-week suspension for landing a flurry of punches on Vidot's head.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said the 19-year-old was shattered that he wouldn't be able to play in front of a large contingent of family and friends at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
Furner said the Raiders' poor record at the judiciary, combined with the fact the club hoped its Toyota Cup team would go beyond the first week of the finals, had prompted the early guilty plea.
While he admitted the footage of the incident ''didn't look good'' for Vidot, Furner said the youngster had been unable to defend himself properly from Rogers' attack because of players holding him back and his ''busted finger''.
''He couldn't really defend himself and the other bloke kept coming at him,'' Furner said.
More Raiders news in today's Canberra Times
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