The Dolphins are set to contest a $10,000 NRL breach notice handed down to forward Josh Kerr, for public comments he made around the performance of referee Ashley Klein in the Origin decider.
Kerr was a part of the Maroons’ extended squad for the decider in Sydney last Wednesday night, but didn’t feature in the game.
The morning after the game, Kerr was interviewed by television reporters, and didn’t hold back when it came to Klein.
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“I’m not sure how much trouble I could get into for saying it but geez I thought Ash Klein did a bit to try even it up or make it a bit closer,” he said.
“We were sitting there going, ‘it’s rorted, the game’s rorted’.
“I haven’t got the best eyesight at times but I’m watching forward passes and sh*t.
“We were all on the sideline just going, ‘oh, no, it’s a double agent’.
“But it makes it more exciting and brings out the Queenslander.”
The NRL released a statement in the days following the game, alleging Kerr had “contravened” the game’s code of conduct.
“Kerr made public statements following the match regarding the performance and integrity of the match officials which are alleged to have contravened the NRL Code of Conduct,” it said.
“The comments are considered detrimental to the best interests of the game and also serve to undermine the credibility of Match Officials.”
According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, the Dolphins are privately upset with the QRL, believing Kerr should have been protected from the media given he didn’t take the field.
The Dolphins are likely to challenge the fine on the grounds that they believe Kerr was only joking.
Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf defended Kerr.
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“We’re supporting Kerry and have asked some questions around it, without going into details,” he said.
“He’s a great, fun guy to be around. It was certainly said in a fun context. I don’t think there was anything sinister about the comments at all. He was looking for a laugh.”
Kerr is required to respond to the notice by Friday, a day after he comes off the interchange for the Dolphins, in their clash against the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.
