Jordan McLean has been banned for seven matches by the NRL judiciary who have found him guilty of a dangerous throw on the Newcastle Knights Alex McKinnon; McLean pleaded not guilty to the charge but the judiciary panel of three disagreed.
Defence Council Nick Ghabar, Jordan McLean and Storm CEO Mark Evans. Source: Getty Images
GEN Y footballers aren't known for their wilful avoidance of screens.
Away from the paddock, their lives are defined by iPhones, Tablets and X-Box games played on mammoth LCD units.
At 22 years of age and with his NRL career just starting to take shape, Jordan McLean might well be perfect pin-up boy for his peer group. But not on Wednesday night.
For over three hours McLean looked anywhere but the two metre screen inside the NRL judiciary. For all the excruciating stills and slow-mos that were shown, McLean kept his focus elsewhere. Not one of the dozens upon dozens of replays of the sickening tackle on Alex McKinnon reached his gaze, which was affixed firmly to the wooden table in front of him.
Without uttering a word in his own defence, McLean held the same line of sight when his guilt was announced at 7:21pm.
Jordan McLean arrives at the NRL Judiciary hearing at Rugby League Central. Source: Getty Images
Pandora's box had just flown open, but his outward emotions remained shut.
In determining McLean's guilt, the three-man panel were not permitted to take McKinnon's horrific injury into account. In determining his sentence, they could.
McLean's counsel Nick Ghabar labelled the panel's task of formulating the tragic outcome into a sentence as "the elephant in the room".
NRL counsel Peter kite declared the job ahead of them "unprecedented", given McKinnon's final condition might remain unknown for several years.
Even chairman Paul Conlon - a seasoned District Court judge - expressed his sympathy for Mal Cochrane, Chris McKenna and Bob Lindner.
"It's not an easy task and there's probably not many people in the room who would want to swap positions with you," Conlon said.
Jordan McLean waits for the start of a NRL Judiciary Hearing. Source: Getty Images
The hearing room was packed with media to a level not seen since the construction of the new League Central building in February 2012.
Even Melbourne Storm's Sydney-based ball boy, David Bloom, waited outside until well past dark with his father to give a sullen McLean his best wishes.
And Conlon was right. None would have volunteered to carry the burden that weighed upon Wednesday night's panel.
Kite appealed for a sentence of up to 11 matches. He broke the suspension down to a grade three offence, which equated to a five-week ban.
Taking into account that broken jaws had previously been equated to a one-grade loading, Kite felt McKinnon's lifelong trauma deserved at least three times that much.
Sports lawyer Saul Fridman goes through the legal issues surrounding Jordan McLeans seven match ban and how he believes the judiciary came to its decision.
With grades leaping in two-week increments for dangerous throw offences, that would have spelled six additional weeks for the injury alone.
"This level of injury requires something more," Kite told the panel.
"How much more is a matter for your judgment."
Ghabar pleaded with them to exercise that judgment with "extreme caution".
In the first half of proceedings he'd argued that McLean should be acquitted because his initial leg-lift was not a "significant contributing factor" to McKinnon being placed in a dangerous position. That was rejected.
Now Ghabar needed convince the panel McKinnon's "tuck and roll" just before landing was a significant and direct cause of injury.
Defence Council Nick Ghabar, Jordan McLean and Storm CEO Mark Evans. Source: Getty Images
The more significant McKinnon's own contribution, the lesser the sentence for McLean, because, as many former players had observed over the previous nine days, this was "a terrible, terrible accident". Although McLean had lifted McKinnon into a dangerous position, Ghabar argued there would have been no injury had McKinnon not rolled his head forward.
"You don't need to speculate and punish the outcome," Ghabar said.
"What we want here is consistency and a punishment that fits the crime."
Ghabar felt that punishment should be a single week, particularly after reviewing previous grade one offences that resulted in ball-carriers being up-ended at right angles to the turf.
Jordan McLean of the Melbourne Storm arrives at the NRL Judiciary Hearing. Source: Getty Images
He felt that if McLean's leg lift was found to have caused the injury, then its role was minimal. In that case, an extra grade - or two more weeks on the sideline - would suffice.
After thirty minutes of deliberation the verdict landed well toward Kite's end of the spectrum - 725 points or seven matches. McLean's eyes stayed beneath him, even as those of his suited Melbourne club mates shot skyward in exasperation.
Even Conlon tried to offer some consolation after the verdict was delivered, mumbling: "It's a very difficult situation and I've got no doubt the panel has a lot of sympathy for you."
Sympathy, most likely. Clarification, not coming any time soon.
Storm CEO Mark Evans speaks to the media after the completion of Jordan McLean's hearing. Source: Getty Images
The NRL refused to disclose what loading McKinnon's injury carried in the seven-match suspension, which equates to a Grade Four dangerous throw.
It could have been any one of four permutations: a grade one tackle with a three grade loading for the injury, a grade two tackle, with a two grade loading, a grade three tackle with a grade one loading, or, most unlikely of all, a straight grade four with no loading.
Confused? Spare a thought for McLean.
He could already not bear watching the tackle on a screen.
Now he's condemned to be reminded of it for another seven weeks.
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