Canberra forward Hudson Young will turn his focus to getting his NRL career back on track after copping an eight-game ban for dangerous contact on Adam Pompey’s eye.
Young looked a shattered man following Tuesday night’s verdict, appearing close to tears as he waited on the length of ban after being found guilty.
The 21-year-old had maintained throughout his hearing that he’d made no contact with Pompey’s eye, and even had the support of the Warriors centre who denied feeling a touch.
But those arguments were rejected in a marathon judiciary hearing, with the NRL’s judiciary kept operating until 11:20pm on Tuesday with three separate cases.
Young’s ban was his second of the year after being outed for five weeks on the same charge earlier this year, and will rule him out of the NRL finals as well as the start of 2020.
“Although I’m disappointed with their decision, I’ll accept my punishment and learn from it,” Young said afterwards.
“I’ll now focus on returning to training this week and doing everything I can for the team.”
Working in Young’s favour is at least the fact he is contracted long-term at the Raiders, locked in until the end of 2021.
He has also received the backing of Ricky Stuart this week, who insisted the incident was a lack of stupidity but by no means the eye gouge some had made out.
Young claimed on Tuesday night his hand had merely slipped onto the face from Pompey’s hand as he tried to deny a try, prompting him to move it away quickly.
That view was backed by Pompey, who said he felt no pressure around his face or eye when he appeared in the hearing via video link.
But the Warriors’ rookie’s cross ended on a crucial note, when he told NRL counsel Peter McGrath he agreed that what happened on the field should stay on the field.
It prompted judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew to later tell his three-man panel to consider if Pompey’s evidence was “influenced by a sense of loyalty to another professional footballer”.
It came after McGrath had told Young he believed he’d had a grip on Pompey’s eye socket before pulling his hand away.
“You had finger in his eye socket. It was after that you pulled that right hand away in a raking motion,” McGrath said.
“You had that grip on part of his face before pulling away.”