Blake Lawrie

Dragons duo, star Raider charged by MRC

The Raider was charged over a comment directed at the referee.

Published by
Scott Pryde

All of Blake Lawrie, Ryan Couchman and Jack Wighton have been hit by charges after Sunday's games in Round 23, but the trio will all escape with fines.

Lawrie and Couchman have both been hit with careless high tackle charges, while Wighton's charge was for contrary conduct.

Wighton's charge for contrary conduct came on the stroke of fulltime in the Raiders' narrow win over the Wests Tigers against a match official.

With the Raiders leading by four points, Wighton appeared to make a try-saving tackle on Starford To'a to end the contest, only for the bunker to review the play and find the tackle to be high.

Wighton was placed on report, and while he hasn't been charged for the high tackle, a comment made to referee Peter Gough has seen a Grade 1 charge.

"You're trying hard to give this to them," Wighton told Gough, with the comment picked up by the referee's microphone.

Referee Gough responded, telling Wighton he needed to stop if he wanted to stay on the field.

The Grade 1 charge will bring with it a $3000 fine with an early guilty plea, or the risk of two matches on the sideline if he fights at the judiciary, but will no doubt raise the ire of Broncos' fans after their fullback Reece Walsh was suspended for referee dissent in recent weeks.

At the Dragons, both Blake Lawrie and Ryan Couchman will escape with fines for Grade 1 careless high tackles.

Both players are on first offences, with Lawrie's three-year indicent-free discount seeing him pay $750 with an early guilty plea or $1000 if he fights and loses. Couchman's fines are $1000 with an early plea or $1500 if he fights and loses. The tackles were against Mike-Stephen Arthur and Mitchell Moses respectively.

All three plays and their clubs have until midday (AEST) on Tuesday to determine whether they will accept early guilty pleas or head to the judiciary.

Published by
Scott Pryde