Trey Mooney has joined a growing list of NRL players unavailable for the Knights after the front-rower was slapped with a one-game suspension on Sunday. Mooney was sin-binned late in Newcastle’s loss to the Warriors on Saturday for making dangerous contact with Tanah Boyd while he was kicking.
The Knights prop ran out of the line and appeared to shoulder-charge Boyd while the Warriors halfback was putting up a kick. Mooney also ran through the kicking leg of Boyd – a big no-no that’s been stamped out in recent years.
Trey Mooney (L) has copped a one-game ban, while Latrell Mitchell (R) was one of six players fined by the NRL. Image: Getty/AAP
On Sunday the match review committee deemed it a Grade 2 dangerous contact charge. Mooney will miss one game with an early guilty plea, or two if he challenges at the judiciary and loses.
He joins Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown on the sidelines in another major blow for Newcastle. Ponga is expected to be out until Round 10, while Brown won’t be back until Round 7. Fletcher Sharpe also hasn’t played since Las Vegas due to a knee injury, but there’s hope he’ll be back next week against the Bulldogs.
Trey Mooney was sin-binned for his dangerous contact on Tanah Boyd. Image: Fox League
Latrell Mitchell and five other players cop fines
Mooney was one of seven players charged from Saturday’s games. Newcastle teammates Phoenix Crossland and Dane Gagai each copped $1000 fines for dangerous contact on Jacob Laban and Jackson Ford respectively.
Blayke Brailey also copped a $1000 fine for tripping Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in Cronulla’s loss to the Dolphins. And Sharks teammate Jess Ramien was fined $1800 for a careless high tackle.
Api Koroisau is also out of pocket $1800 for tripping Jye Gray in the Wests Tigers’ loss to the Rabbitohs. While Latrell Mitchell copped a $1000 fine for a careless high tackle on Heamasi Makasini.
Latrell Mitchell accidentally whacked Heamasi Makasini in the face. Image: Fox League
Mitchell tried to dislodge the ball while Makasini was putting it down for a try, but only managed to whack the Tigers centre in the face. Because the foul play occurred during the act of scoring a try, the Tigers were given two shots at goal for a rare eight-point try.
But Souths coach Wayne Bennett didn’t think it was worthy of an eight-point try. “Latrell didn’t deliberately play at his head. He played at the ball,” Bennett said. “He tried to get the ball and knock it out of his hands, so I thought it was harsh. I don’t know what else he can do there. There was obviously a penalty there. But I think it’s added two points to it (unfairly).”