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<big>Ear-biting Bear to receive lengthy ban to chew over</big>
Wounded Tiger … Alan Schirnack.
A NORTH SYDNEY player has been sacked and faces a record suspension for biting off part of Wests Tigers rookie Jason Schirnack's ear in a wild brawl last weekend.
Mitchell Stevens, a 22-year-old winger, will tonight appear before the NSW Cup judiciary after stunned officials referred the matter directly to a hearing. He is expected to be banned for at least a year.
Bears officials have already acted by sacking Stevens after he admitted to having bitten Schirnack's ear while the pair were wrestling during last Sunday's match at North Sydney Oval, won 42-16 by Balmain.
Schirnack, who made his NRL debut for the Tigers in March against Sydney Roosters, later returned to the field and was sent off for a high tackle, but no further action was taken by the match review committee due to the mitigating circumstances.
''If you have seen Evander Holyfield after Mike Tyson took a little nibble out of his ear, you can understand Jason's reaction,'' Balmain Ryde general manager Paul Sironen said. ''It was one of those unacceptable actions we don't want in our game.''
Photographs showing a missing chunk from Schirnack's ear will be tendered to the judiciary hearing as evidence.
The 21-year-old back-rower said the missing piece was not found and doctors had told him there was nothing they could do to repair the damage.
"I was involved in a bit of biff with the guy and we started wrestling on the ground," Schirnack said in the latest edition of Rugby League Week.
"Other players came running in and as we were wrestling on the ground, he took a chunk out of my ear … I couldn't believe it. It wasn't really all that painful, but when I realised a bit of my ear was missing, I was in shock.
"I saw a plastic surgeon but he said there wasn't much he could do. We didn't have the missing bit.
"It looks pretty ugly but what can I do? It's a low act and hopefully he will get punished for it."
North Sydney chief executive Greg Florimo said the club had acted swiftly in sacking Stevens, who had played a handful of games for the Bears after being called up from the local A-grade competition to cover injured players.
''I have seen the photos and it does look like a piece is missing from his ear,'' Florimo said. ''We don't condone that sort of behaviour and the player will no longer be with our club.''
Florimo said Stevens had told him he would plead guilty at tonight's judiciary hearing, but it will be left to the discretion of the tribunal panel to decide whether to take that into account when imposing a penalty.
Gold Coast fullback William Zillman last year received a four-match ban for biting South Sydney's Jamie Simpson, while Bulldogs forward Brad Morrin was suspended for eight matches in 2007 after being found guilty of biting Parramatta's Timana Tahu. Both incidents occurred in tackles and were described as ''nips''.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/earbiting-bear-to-receive-lengthy-ban-to-chew-over-20100824-13qe3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Wounded Tiger … Alan Schirnack.
A NORTH SYDNEY player has been sacked and faces a record suspension for biting off part of Wests Tigers rookie Jason Schirnack's ear in a wild brawl last weekend.
Mitchell Stevens, a 22-year-old winger, will tonight appear before the NSW Cup judiciary after stunned officials referred the matter directly to a hearing. He is expected to be banned for at least a year.
Bears officials have already acted by sacking Stevens after he admitted to having bitten Schirnack's ear while the pair were wrestling during last Sunday's match at North Sydney Oval, won 42-16 by Balmain.
Schirnack, who made his NRL debut for the Tigers in March against Sydney Roosters, later returned to the field and was sent off for a high tackle, but no further action was taken by the match review committee due to the mitigating circumstances.
''If you have seen Evander Holyfield after Mike Tyson took a little nibble out of his ear, you can understand Jason's reaction,'' Balmain Ryde general manager Paul Sironen said. ''It was one of those unacceptable actions we don't want in our game.''
Photographs showing a missing chunk from Schirnack's ear will be tendered to the judiciary hearing as evidence.
The 21-year-old back-rower said the missing piece was not found and doctors had told him there was nothing they could do to repair the damage.
"I was involved in a bit of biff with the guy and we started wrestling on the ground," Schirnack said in the latest edition of Rugby League Week.
"Other players came running in and as we were wrestling on the ground, he took a chunk out of my ear … I couldn't believe it. It wasn't really all that painful, but when I realised a bit of my ear was missing, I was in shock.
"I saw a plastic surgeon but he said there wasn't much he could do. We didn't have the missing bit.
"It looks pretty ugly but what can I do? It's a low act and hopefully he will get punished for it."
North Sydney chief executive Greg Florimo said the club had acted swiftly in sacking Stevens, who had played a handful of games for the Bears after being called up from the local A-grade competition to cover injured players.
''I have seen the photos and it does look like a piece is missing from his ear,'' Florimo said. ''We don't condone that sort of behaviour and the player will no longer be with our club.''
Florimo said Stevens had told him he would plead guilty at tonight's judiciary hearing, but it will be left to the discretion of the tribunal panel to decide whether to take that into account when imposing a penalty.
Gold Coast fullback William Zillman last year received a four-match ban for biting South Sydney's Jamie Simpson, while Bulldogs forward Brad Morrin was suspended for eight matches in 2007 after being found guilty of biting Parramatta's Timana Tahu. Both incidents occurred in tackles and were described as ''nips''.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/earbiting-bear-to-receive-lengthy-ban-to-chew-over-20100824-13qe3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
