‘You have a choice not to bite someone’: Kyle Flanagan’s former teammate weighs in on alleged bite
NRL head of football Graham Annesley couldn’t give his views on whether Kyle Flanagan had bitten Stephen Crichton on Saturday, but Roosters edge forward Victor Radley has weighed in on the incident, saying “it looked like he did”.
Radley and Flanagan were teammates at the Roosters a few seasons ago, with the playmaker now at the Dragons where he’s had a solid year in the halves to have his side in finals contention.
But his immediate future is in the hands of the judiciary who will decide on Tuesday whether he bit Crichton, who was left with visible marks on his nose following the incident in the 63rd minute that led to Flanagan being referred to NRL headquarters.
Camera IconKyle Flanagan has been accused of biting Bulldogs skipper Stephen Crichton Credit: Supplied
“I think he said he didn’t do it, but it looked like he did,” Radley said.
“It’s a good laugh. I’m not sure about it, I don’t really care.
“I don’t think you can bite someone. You have a choice not to bite someone, so it doesn’t just happen. Someone doesn’t bite themselves.”
Annesley was also asked about it at his weekly briefing but couldn’t give any details given it’s an active case.
“I can’t talk about it,” he said.
“I’m not trying to be evasive, but we’ve got a hearing tomorrow night, so anything I say, even about the process, could be disputed in the hearing by either party.
“I can’t give any information away that may be the subject of evidence tomorrow night.
“What we do know is that there has been a charge laid by the match review committee. I haven’t seen the evidence other than what everyone else has seen that’s been out there publicly in terms of video footage.
“I’ve not seen any of the evidence that the match review committee will put forward. There’s a plea of not guilty, so I’m restricted in what I can say about the incident until the judicial process is finished.”
Meanwhile, Annesley backed the Bunker’s call to award the Panthers a controversial late try to Izack Tago on Friday night that put them ahead after a frantic comeback against the Eels.
It looked like Liam Martin had taken out Daejarn Asi which allowed Daine Laurie to break clear, but the Bunker spotted a collision between Martin and Blaize Talagi that meant the Panthers star tripped into the defensive line.
“When their feet collide, he stumbles,” Annesley said.
“There are collisions that happen on the field all the time that aren’t as a result of anyone intentionally breaking the rules.
“My view is that I support the decision that they made, but I acknowledge that there will be people that disagree with that.”
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