Mt Hagen Eagles' Levai Andrew Faces Lengthy Suspension Amidst Controversy

Mt Hagen Eagles' captain Levai Andrew is in hot water after being hit with two grade three contrary conduct charges by the Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Competition match review committee. The charges stem from incidents during the Eagles' round four clash with Central Dabaris at the Jonah Ambane Oval in Minj, Jiwaka.
Andrew, playing in the centre position for the Eagles, was found guilty of swearing at referee Bonny Bin and refusing to leave the field after being sin-binned during the match. As a result, he now faces a suspension of more than 10 weeks, pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
Pathways and performance general manager of PNGNRLC, Tony Archer, stated that Andrew has 48 hours to respond to the charges before disciplinary action is taken. "The player is charged, and it depends on if the player pleads guilty and accepts the penalty," Archer explained. "The club has 48 hours to make a decision or make a submission."

Eagles head coach Francis Ray refrained from commenting immediately, indicating that the team management was set to discuss Andrew's charges in a meeting last night. "We knew of the committee’s decision on social media and will comment after our meeting tonight," Ray told The National.
Meanwhile, Central Dabaris released a statement on their Facebook page, expressing their expectation for a fair outcome from the disciplinary process. "We will allow that process to take its course and expect that a judicious outcome will be delivered, upholding the integrity of the competition managers and does not bring the game further into disrepute," the statement read.
In a twist to the saga, Archer admitted that referee Bin was at fault for changing his decision late in the match, which ended in an 18-18 draw. Despite the controversy, Bin has been stood down from officiating in this weekend’s round five matches. Further investigations into the actions of the club, its officials, and game day staff are underway.
Archer emphasized the importance of upholding professionalism and respect for match officials, stating, "Respecting the decision of a match referee and the correct application of the rules of the game are essential. We are driving hard in improving the professionalism of our game, and to have this incident occur is unfortunate and not to the standards we require."
As the rugby league community awaits the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings, the incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to maintain integrity and sportsmanship within the competition.
Also check out

• ​Digicel Cup : Round 5 Results