THE Golden Rivers Football League has belatedly released the names of players involved in violent incidents in the grand final on September 9.
Two Ultima players were suspended after an incident that left Wandella coach Paul Grayling with facial injuries.
The league issued a statement yesterday claiming it had been questioned about the legality of releasing names of players involved in the tribunal hearing.
“As a result, the names were temporarily withheld,” it stated last Thursday.
“This query has now been answered…”
At the time, the league stated that names had been withheld at the request of one of the clubs.
An investigation into incidents which occurred in the last quarter of the grand final played at Wandella recreation reserve on September 9 resulted in eight players from the GRFL facing the independent tribunal on October 19.
Two Ultima players were charged with striking.
Dwayne Hamlyn received a six-match ban. He was also suspended for four matches following an incident in the previous year’s grand final.
Andrew Bennett received a two-match ban with a further two matches suspended until the end of the 2018 season.
Four Wandella players, Samuel Taylor, Troy Robinson, Callaghan Gray and Kokwam Niki, and two Ultima players, Arnold Kirby and Zachery Nichols, were charged with being involved in a melee. Each of these players received a two-match ban with the sentence suspended until the end of the 2018 season.
The GRFL board stated yesterday that it is satisfied with the investigation outcome and that the tribunal findings further endorse the Golden Rivers Football League’s commitment to providing a safe environment for players and spectators.
