For the first time since being involved in a tunnel altercation with Reed Mahoney, Jack Hetherington has spoken out about the incident.
Sin-binned from the field, the Knights forward decided to wait in the tunnel at Accor Stadium for the Bulldogs hooker.
Then, when the two came face-to-face, they had a push-and-pull before being separated by Bulldogs club officials - no punches were thrown between the duo.
Hetherington off the rails...#nrlbulldogsknights pic.twitter.com/8BKTv41mxf
— Big Dog 1935 (@CBB1934) April 21, 2024
Suspended from this week's game against The Dolphins, Hetherington surprisingly admitted that he was never "serious about fighting him".
โI was not being serious about fighting him โฆ but it was stupid,โ Hetherington told The Daily Telegraph.
โIf I had my time again, I would not have done it. They could have made an example of me even if it was lighthearted.
Charged by the Match Review Committee (MRC), he was slapped with a Grade 2 Contract Conduct Charge before taking the early guilty plea to only miss a single match.
On the other hand, Mahonry only had to pay a $1000 fine after facing a Grade 1 Contrary Conduct Charge and would not miss any matches.
โI was actually expecting to get a bit longer than a week," he added.
โI'm a bit over people holding stuff over my head from when I was a young player.
โI'm 28 now and I've matured a lot. I've now got three young kids. I spend my weekends at home. I rarely go out. I'm a family man. I want to be known as a footballer, not a hothead.โ
