Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has defended the NRL's decision to allow Taylan May to play in this year's finals series.
May was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in court last week, but had no conviction recorded and was fined $1000, as well as being made to pay $1000 in compensation to the victim. He has since been suspended for two games by the NRL, with an official breach notice handed down on Tuesday.
The catch to the suspension is that the two games will be served at the beginning of the 2023 season, with May free to play in the 2022 finals series, with the Panthers finishing as minor premiers.
May was also fined $7500, with 50 per cent of that suspended.
Speaking on 9 News, V'Landys said that the penalty was adequate, and preventing May from playing in this year's finals series would have penalised the fans.
"We will consider the fans," V'Landys said.
"A lot of ex-players look at it through the players lense. We look at it through everyone's lense and the most important person at the moment is the fan.
"Why penalise the Penrith fans for an indiscretion that the player did?
"The person that should be paying the penalty is the player, and they will, because the player has two matches and a substantial part of their salary."
Asked what his response was to upset Eels fans, V'Landys said the club would be treated the same way as Penrith and May have in this particular instance.
"If it was one of their wingers, and it was the same situation, we'd do the same as them," V'Landys said.
May has been named to line up on the wing for the Panthers this weekend against the Eels, with the game to be played on Friday evening at the foot of the mountains.
