Why Gold Coast Titan Kevin Proctor’s biting charge was a joke from start to finish

It started out with claims of biting on the field and ended as a joke off it. READ OUR RANT ON TITAN’S BITING

Kevin Proctor of the Titans is called by referee Henry Perenara following an incident involving biting the forearm of Shaun Johnson. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

WHAT a joke.

Kevin Proctor copped four weeks for biting, ey?

Did he do it? Was Shaun Johnson too tasty to resist?

Those questions don’t matter too much now, following Tuesday night’s NRL judiciary hearing.

But, the way I see it, those questions remain unanswered.

We will all make up our minds over Proctor’s “naughty nibble”, but the problem seems to be the NRL hasn’t.

Let’s start from the beginning.

Send-offs are rare in the NRL these days. Too rare.

The reasons are two-fold: referees have a warm safety net called the Bunker.

That allows them the freedom to shift responsibility to those in front of monitors, who then often shift it further to the judicial system. It’s why so many players are put on report.

WHAT PROCTOR’S LAWYER ARGUED

The second reason send-offs are rare is that the punishment to one team is too great.

The faster the game, the more you need every troop you can get.

I’m not suggesting send-offs shouldn’t happen – we should see more.

But, as I see it, the Proctor case wasn’t so open and shut (pardon the pun) that a send-off was essential.

A Sharks penalty and putting the incident on report would have sufficed.

That’s a moot point now, but leads me on to the bigger issue.

Once Proctor was sent off, he was an absolute roughie to get off at the judiciary.

There is no suggestion of impropriety on behalf of the NRL judiciary, but I can’t see a situation in which a story garnered that much attention – afterall it was one of those rare send-offs mentioned above – and the player at the centre gets off scott free.

Proctor was a dead man walking.

OK, so let’s accept that decision – he’s guilty.

But then why has the NRL hedged their bets?

If he’s guilty and tried to take a piece of Johnson home as a souvenir, he has to cop 15 weeks. Surely.

Or if he’s innocent, he gets off.

Apparently, however, Proctor is half pregnant.

He’s guilty of biting ... but only a little bit.

Aside from the obvious disappointment of the incident at the time, my frustration had stemmed from the fact a good game, with a potentially better finish, had been ruined by this moment.

Now the anger is over how a player can be deemed to have tried to bite into the flesh of another but only got four weeks.

I’m sure Proctor has learnt a lesson through all this but I hope the NRL has too.

WHAT THE FANS SAID

Janet Rayner: “Well done to the team! A good effort when they were up against a crap call.”

Blaze Kippax Ross: “This one hurts. We would’ve won without that brain snap. Kev clearly lays it all on the line for us, but clearly made a very serious lack in judgment. He deserves a contract extension, but tonight is something he really should be embarrassed about.”

Harley McDonnell: “There was no way that was a bite. The only reason it even got called back was because Titans were going to beat them.”

Jackie Hawkins: “Hard to say. Hard to breathe with your nose and mouth covered with an arm. Johnson said nothing in it???”

Jake Heading: “Load of crap never a bite”

Robyn Tee: “Wonder if we will get to see the bite mark????”

Ethan Spencer: “Kevin Proctor owes his teammates, members and fans an apology. Titans were on the attack, had a full set and had a bit of momentum before his complete stupidity. He’s really cost his team.”

Mandy Savage: “He didn’t at any stage move his jaw or close his teeth together he is innocent. And clearly very upset.”

Jake Epworth: “As a Titans supporter I’m actually embarrassed by Kevin Poctor (sic). I’d kick him off the team !!”

Noel Schwarz: “Brain explosion and out of character but not a good look for him or the club.”

Christine Russell: “I have watched it several times and Proctor never even look to close his mouth. Having an arm shoved in you face and nose you have to open your mouth.”

Bailey Slade: “If he bit him why didn’t Johnson pull his arm away”

Laura Gregson: “He didn’t bite him his jaw didn’t move just unfortunately his arm was in his mouth watch the interview with Shaun Johnson, I don't believe that was an intentional just unfortunate and Shaun playing on the incident and now the media will blow it up to make it 100x worse than what it was.”

Ryan Darlington: “How can people defend him? Titans supporter since 07 I love Proctor but f--- me that was bad. Threw the game, threw his season and maybe threw a contract extension. Embarrassing.”