It could be Tah ta Harley

WARATAHS speedster Harley Puruntatameri's hopes of playing in Saturday's NTFL elimination final remain in limbo after his appeal against a four-match ban for kicking was adjourned at Wednesday night's tribunal hearing.

Harley

WARATAHS speedster Harley Puruntatameri's hopes of playing in Saturday's NTFL elimination final remain in limbo after his appeal against a four-match ban for kicking was adjourned.

Harley

Puruntatameri failed to appear at the hearing after being called to to the Tiwi Islands late yesterday for personal reasons.

His four-match ban, which effectively ends the clever goalsneak's season if it is upheld, relates to a last quarter incident in last week's Waratahs-Buffalo match when field umpire Roland Ostler reported him for kicking his opponent Imam Mukhlis.

Tribunal chairman Anthony Jarvis decided not to proceed with the matter in order to give Puruntatameri an opportunity for natural justice when presenting evidence in the case.

Tahs president Leigh Jennings, who acted as Puruntatameri's advocate last night, wants to know if he can play in the knockout final against Southern Districts if the case is held over until next week.

"I'd like it to be held next week to tell you the truth, but whether that means Harley can play this week is the problem we've got," he said.

"In saying that, it would be good to get it over this week, possibly on Saturday morning, so we know where we stand.

"Right now we've got to find out where he is, get him back to Darwin and hopefully get him acquitted after we work out with the football operations people when we can hold the case."

Meanwhile, Southern Districts got some positive news when big forward Fred Sleeth's three-match ban for intentionally engaging in rough play was thrown out by the three-person tribunal.

Sleeth was reported by field umpire Jay Gilden for engaging in rough play in circumstances deemed unreasonable when he became involved in a third quarter scuffle with Tiwi Bombers opponent Nick McElwee.

Gilden told the tribunal he saw Sleeth run into a melee involving a number of Districts and Tiwi players and target McElwee by engaging him in a headlock.

"He moved to the side and held McElwee's head under his left arm for nine or 10 seconds,'' Gilden said.

"I thought it was unreasonable and unnecessary in the circumstances and reached for the report book, after which Sleeth released McElwee.''

McElwee and Sleeth both gave evidence through phone links, with McElwee saying the whole incident happened "pretty quickly'' and he was not 100 per cent sure how he was grabbed and who it was.

Sleeth said he was trying to ``deactivate the fight'' because Districts had finals football to play the follow-jling week.
"There was no malice, I wasn't trying to hurt the bloke,'' he said.

"I thought I was on his back, I never squeezed his head, it was more a push and shove because there was no aggression towards me or him.''

Jarvis said his panel was giving Sleeth the benefit of the doubt, but he warned him to stay away from any future melees for his and the club's sake.