Rogers faces NRL ban for Vidot strike - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Rogers faces NRL ban for Vidot strike

01/09/2009 06:31:54 PM Comments (0)

Canberra winger Daniel Vidot says he didn't try to knee Newcastle's Ben Rogers during a wild brawl that NRL chief executive David Gallop slammed as unacceptable.

Rogers sparked the fight during Monday's loss in Canberra by throwing a series of punches at Vidot before the Raiders winger responded with an attempted knee to the head.

The incident sparked a heavy rebuke from the match review committee on Tuesday, with Rogers handed a grade four striking charge that could end his NRL season and Vidot slapped with a grade three contrary conduct charge.

But Vidot hit out at the incident, claiming Rogers threw a "cheap elbow" at him and vowing to respond in similar circumstances if attacked on the field again.

"If I have to fight I have to fight. You have got to defend yourself and stand up for yourself and never back down," Vidot told Network Ten.

"I wasn't trying to knee him, I was kind of pushed into it as well.

"I would not really call it (Rogers's punch) a real punch. I didn't really go down.

"I was just getting ready for him to play the ball.

"A little cheap elbow kind of ticked me off so I gave him a little shove and all of a sudden boom."

Gallop said the vicious on field fighting was not accepted in the NRL.

"I never want to see that on the field and I'm comfortable with the match review committee dealing with it," he said on Tuesday.

While the Knights still have to beat Penrith on Sunday to book a finals berth, Rogers is unlikely to play any part in their post-season campaign with the utility facing up to five weeks on the sideline.

The multiple punches he landed on Vidot's chin attracted a minimum three-game ban with an early guilty plea.

Vidot was charged with grade three contrary conduct - attempted use of the knee - after lashing out at Rogers with his leg during the fight.

It spoiled what was a tremendous game for the young Raiders flyer, who provided two spectacular pieces of play to score one try and set up another for Bronson Harrison.

Vidot will miss two games with an early guilty plea or three if he unsuccessfully fights the charge at the NRL judiciary.

Two other players from the game were also charged, but neither Harrison nor Knights veteran Steve Simpson will face any time out of the game if they make early guilty pleas.

Simpson was charge with a grade one dangerous throw while Harrison was charged over a `chicken wing' tackle on Newcastle backrower Zeb Taia.

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