Newcastle Knights young gun Phoenix Crossland suspended for pub altercation

Newcastle Knights young gun Phoenix Crossland has been fined and suspended by the NRL after he was involved in a pub altercation.

Phoenix Crossland during a training session.

Newcastle Knights young gun Phoenix Crossland has been fined and suspended by the NRL after he was involved in a pub altercation.

The 20-year-old will not feature in Newcastle’s round one game against the Canterbury Bulldogs after he was hit with a one-match suspension.

Crossland was also fined $900 — with half suspended for 12 months — for the incident involving another pub patron, which occurred in a Newcastle four months ago.

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The NRL said in a statement: “In determining the penalty, the NRL took into account that the player proactively reported the incident, co-operated with the Integrity Unit and written submissions made in response to a breach notice.”

Phoenix Crossland of the Knights/

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Crossland has played seven games for Newcastle since making his NRL debut in 2019.

The New Zealander has a slim chance of partnering with veteran Mitchell Pearce in the halves for Friday’s season opener, but the experienced Kurt Mann will don the No. 6 jersey instead.