Manly winger Hopoate facing ban for contact with referee
Manly winger Lehi Hopoate has been charged with a grade-two contrary conduct offense for colliding with referee Grant Atkins during a recent match. If he pleads guilty, he will face a one-game suspension, but could be banned for two games if he contests the charge and loses. The incident has raised questions about the grading of the charge, especially in light of a previous incident involving another player that went unpunished.
- ▪Lehi Hopoate collided with referee Grant Atkins during a match against Wests Tigers.
- ▪He has been charged with a grade-two contrary conduct offense and faces a potential one-game suspension.
- ▪Manly is considering appealing for a downgrade of the charge, believing the contact was accidental.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.