Luke Keary was fined $1000 for grabbing referee Gerard Sutton during the Sydney Roosters’ 22-20 victory over Newcastle.
Keary attempted to chase Knights centre Bradman Best and pulled at Sutton’s arm, causing him to stumble into teammate Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
Although Sutton remained upright, Keary glanced at him after regaining his footing. The match review committee charged Keary with grade-one contrary conduct, offering a $1000 fine with an early guilty plea, which could increase to $1500 if challenged.
This incident adds to the ongoing scrutiny of player-referee interactions, exemplified by recent sanctions against players like Jahrome Hughes and Jarome Luai for similar behavior.