Canberra NRL coach Ricky Stuart has dismissed claims his second-rower Hudson Young had eye-gouged Warriors winger Adam Pompey.
Young made contact with Pompey’s face as the winger scored a try in the first half of Saturday afternoon’s game which the Warriors fought back to win 24-20.
It was initially missed by officials because Pompey didn’t react but, when replays showed the incident, Fox Sports commentator and former NRL player Brett Finch exploded.
Finch called for a “12 to 20-week” suspension for Young who copped a five-game ban earlier in the season over a similar incident.
“He’s a repeat offender,” Finch said.
“Watch these hands – they come in for another crack. Yeah he’s gone. He’s got serious issues. He’s done it before – that is absolute garbage.
“That is rubbish. That’s not what our game is about – that is a disgraceful act … look at the pressure on his eyes here.
“That is terrible. He (Pompey) should react. He should put one straight on his chin. This is a bloke who spent five weeks on the sideline.
“He could go anywhere from 12 to 20 weeks and why shouldn’t he? He’s done it before.”
But Stuart said he spoke to Young and was satisfied the 21-year-old had not eye-gouged Pompey.
“I’ve only briefly seen it. I know he didn’t gouge the kid,” Stuart said.
“There was a hand on the face from what I’ve seen on the video and it’s something I’ve got to look at again and get a clearer version of it.
“It reminds me of the (Cowboys forward) Josh Maguire incidents where he got fined for whatever they call it on the face.
“I went straight to him and asked him if it was a gouge and he said ‘no’ and he’s spoken to the other player.
“If it was an eye-gouge, and look I don’t condone any of this, (but) if it was an eye-gouge, the kid would reel out of that and he didn’t.
“I hope for the kid’s sake that if it is anything, it’s the same as what Josh Maguire copped. Twice, he got the fine.”
South Sydney prop George Burgess served a nine-match ban for an eye gouge after he was found guilty of attacking Robbie Farah’s face in round 15.