Kevin Proctor's four-week biting suspension looks set to have further ramifications for the Gold Coast Titans with the NRL investigating pre-hearing comments made by the club's head of culture Mal Meninga.
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Ahead of Saturday's clash with Canberra, Meninga, Proctor and Cronulla half Shaun Johnson are all facing fines for breaching the NRL's code of conduct having spoken publicly about the case before Tuesday night's judiciary hearing.
Proctor was found guilty of biting Johnson after just eight minutes of deliberation by the judiciary, following a 138-minute hearing during which Proctor and his legal team argued the Titans' captain's innocence.
Prior to the hearing, Meninga made a comment on Foxsports that Proctor "felt that his life was in danger" while he was being tackled by Johnson.
And before offering evidence on behalf of Proctor, Johnson had taken to social media to explain why he was defending his New Zealand teammate.
Proctor's suspension is a major blow for the Titans who are looking to throw a spanner in Canberra's top-four aspirations at CBus Super Stadium on Saturday.
Raiders captain Jarrod Croker was quick to back Proctor when asked about the suspension on Wednesday.
"Personally I thought he might have been all right but I haven't looked into it too much or read a lot of it either," Croker said.
"I played Australian schoolboys with Kevvie a long time ago now so I've known him for awhile, and we had Rapa's [Jordan Rapana's] wedding, we caught up there as well. He's a really good guy Kevvie, I do feel sorry for him I just hope that he's doing all right away from footy."
Rapana has also come out in defence of good mate Proctor this week, revealing he spoke with Proctor twice on the phone in the aftermath of the incident.
The Gold Coast captain was sent from the field in his 250th game for the indiscretion, and his future at the club is now up in the air given he is yet to be re-signed beyond 2020.
"He's really found himself the last couple of weeks Kevvie, playing a lot of of good footy, he's their captain and their leader as well, they'll miss him," Croker said.
"They've obviously got depth in the squad to bring someone in."
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The Raiders are chasing a fifth win in six matches, and can leapfrog the Roosters into the top four depending on how the premiers fare against the Wests Tigers.
"They're [the Titans] playing a fast brand of football, up there it's pretty much the opposite of what it is here. That suits them down to a tee, it's a fast track up there, they're playing fast footy, they're playing with plenty of confidence," Croker said.
"They've got guys in their side that can break the game open. We need to start well, we need to start disciplined. We can't afford to give them any early leg ups, early sniffs. Try and play the long game again, it's something we try and do each week and finish up well."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
