Kyle Flanagan-Stephen Circhton #bitegate: Victor Radley says it 'looks like Flanagan bit him’
Former teammate Victor Radley thinks it looked like Kyle Flanagan bit Stephen Crichton, as the St George Illawarra five-eighth prepares to front the NRL judiciary on his dangerous-contact charge.
The NRL referred Flanagan directly to a 6pm hearing on Tuesday after Canterbury captain Crichton claimed to have been bitten while attempting to tackle the 25-year-old during Saturday’s game.
The incident from the Bulldogs’ 28-10 win has attracted widespread attention from across rugby league, with Crichton appearing to willingly come face-to-face with Flanagan as he made the tackle in the second half at Jubilee Oval.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.In the aftermath of the round-23 game, Dragons coach Shane Flanagan denied his son had bitten Crichton.
But Radley, who played alongside Flanagan at the Sydney Roosters in 2020, was sceptical as to suggestions his former teammate was not to blame for Crichton’s bleeding nose.
“I think he said he didn’t do it, but it looked like he did. It was a good laugh, really. I’m not sure, I don’t really care about it,” Radley said.
“I’m pretty sure you have a choice not to bite someone. It doesn’t just happen.
“Someone doesn’t bite themselves.”
The NRL’s head of football operations Graham Annesley would not be drawn to comment on the incident at his weekly briefing on Monday for fear of prejudicing the judiciary’s findings.
Crichton will not front the judiciary, just as Newcastle five-eighth Tyson Gamble was absent from Jack Wighton’s hearing after he accused the then-Canberra playmaker of a bite during last year’s finals series.
Wighton received a three-match ban on that occasion.
Crichton will have the option to provide written evidence, a club official told AAP, but no Bulldogs player or official will give testimony in person at the NRL’s headquarters on Tuesday night.
Annesley said there was nothing stopping the Australian Rugby League Commission from reviewing its guidelines to require that a player gives evidence after accusing another of biting.
“The commission of course at any time can change the judiciary rules because they are the rules of the commission,” he said.
“But it’s an independent process and Geoff (Bellew SC) as the independent chairman of the judiciary is responsible for interpreting the code as it currently sits.”
