John Green given ten-match suspension by league board

Press, 27 June 1989, Page 38

John Green given ten-match suspension by league board

By

JOHN COFFEY

John Green, this season’s Canterbury rugby league captain, was last evening given a tenmatch suspension by the Canterbury board of control. Even if his Adddington club advances through to the championship grand final and plays in the national Lion Red tournament, Green’s stand down period will almost certainly extend into next season. The stiff penalty was imposed as a result of Green’s actions before and after his dismissal from the field during Addington’s match with Linwood last Sunday. Green raced from the sin-bin , behind the goal posts — where he was serving his second term

of the game — to join in a fracas which had developed at a scrum 30 metres upfield. That earned him eight matches on the sidelines.

An additional two-match sentence was applied because of his abuse of match officials. Green’s sentence will include his club’s five remaining fixtures in the premiership, its matches in the championship play-offs (between one and three depending on how it fares), and any national tournament games. If Addington was eliminated in the first semi-final, Green would still have four matches to serve in 1990.

Ironically, Green held the leadership of the provincial team at a time when the regular

captain, Wayne Wallace, was himself serving a suspension. Wallace has returned in time to resume that responsibility. Green has been a regular Canterbury forward since 1986 and has made 20 appearances. Another Canterbury representative, Justin Wallace, incurred a four-match suspension for a separate incident in the same club game. Wallace, who joined Linwood from Bay of Plenty this season, was found guilty of a head-high tackle.

A Canterbury Rugby League spokesman said last evening that the sentences reflected lhe administration’s unwavering determination to stamp out illegal tactics.