Six charges and $11,800 in fines: NRL comes down hard on Bulldogs, Tigers stars

Bulldogs prop Sam Hughes has been charged by the NRL match review committee for making contact with referee Kasey Badger after one of the most ill-tempered matches of the season while Tigers halfback Aidan Sezer faces a four-match ban for a tackle which wasn’t deemed worthy of the sin bin.

The NRL match review committee issued a stunning $11,800 in fines on Sunday after the clash between the western Sydney rivals, with serial niggler Reed Mahoney liable for $4300 stemming from two separate charges.

Hughes has been hit with a grade one contrary conduct charge after he appeared to bump Badger during the first half of Canterbury’s contentious 22-14 win over the Tigers on Saturday, which resulted in a mammoth six judiciary charges.

Hughes’ offence will carry a $3000 fine with an early guilty plea.

But the big blow will be for the Tigers, who are facing a month without veteran No.7 Sezer after he was slapped with a grade three dangerous contact charge for a shocking tackle on Canterbury’s Josh Curran.

He will miss four matches with an early guilty plea or five matches if he unsuccessfully fights the charge at the judiciary.

Remarkably, the NRL bunker didn’t see fit to sin-bin Sezer for the tackle despite watching countless replays during the game.

The NRL has shown little tolerance for players making contact with match officials this year, suspending Melbourne halfback Jahrome Hughes in March after he shoved referee Chris Butler while trying to stop a try in the Storm’s win over the Warriors. Butler was backing into his path on the play.

The Sam Hughes charge comes after a spiteful match in which the Tigers finished with 11 players after the sin-binnings of forwards David Klemmer and Alex Seyfarth.

Klemmer was sent to the sin bin for dissent towards Badger and faces a $3000 fine for a contrary conduct charge, while Seyfarth followed moments later for headbutting Bulldogs hooker Mahoney. He will cop a $1500 sanction for a grade one striking charge.

Mahoney has been charged with contrary conduct for the second time in as many games after he rushed to the melee involving Seyfarth, while he was also sanctioned for a dangerous throw on Tigers winger Solomon Alaimalo.

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