Sad and shoken news: Penrith panthers suspended Steve Smith due to suspicious activity……..
Taylan May will be free to play in his first finals series after the NRL opted to hold back a two-match behavioural ban for the Penrith winger until the start of next year.
A week after being found guilty of a pub assault, May was fined $7,500 by the NRL and ordered to undergo counselling and educational training.
The league also imposed a two-match suspension on the young winger, however decided it need not be fulfilled until the start of next season.
In doing so, it freed Penrith up to name the 21-year-old in its team for Friday’s finals opener against Parramatta, ending a nervous six-day wait for the Panther.
The NRL said on Tuesday it was the fairest option, given the incident had occurred last October, before the verdict was delivered on the eve of the finals.
In proposing the timing of the match suspension, the NRL considered a number of factors including when the incident took place, the date at which the proceedings were finalised and the impact of a match suspension at this time of year,” the NRL said in a statement.
May was out with teammates when he dragged a man to the ground inside a Sunshine Coast pub following Penrith’s premiership celebrations.
After fighting the charge, May was found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm in Maroochydore Magistrates Court.
He had no conviction recorded, but was fined $1,000 and ordered by the court to pay another $1,000 to the victim.
Half of the NRL’s fine against May has been suspended, while he must begin undertaking the counselling and education immediately.
