Cameron Murray, Haumole Olakau’atu cop two-week bans after leaving bench to join Suncorp Stadium melee

The NRL has picked out the main offenders from the wild Suncorp Stadium melee and handed out bans and fines to a swag of players.

The wild State of Origin melee. Picture: NRL photos

NSW 19th man Haumole Olakau’atu could escape with only a two-match ban for his involvement in Wednesday night’s State of Origin sideline melee despite entering the fray even though he wasn’t playing and being banished from the field.

The match review committee has come down hard on a host of players involved in the wild scenes, with 11 charges handed down, including nine for the fiery first-half clash that has led to two NSW players being offered two-game bans.

The Blues may have ended their 19-year drought in deciders in Queensland with a famous 14-4 victory at Suncorp Stadium, but it wasn’t without controversy with a wild melee spilling over the sidelines after an initial altercation between Daly Cherry-Evans and Jarome Luai.

While plenty of players got involved and have subsequently been fined for their actions, NSW duo Cameron Murray and Olakau’atu are facing the harshest penalties after they were both hit with grade 3 contrary conduct charges.

Murray wasn’t on the field at the time having been subbed off four minutes earlier and Queensland captain Cherry-Evans demanded to referee Ashley Klein that he be sent off.

“Yeah. I feel I was pretty clear. That’s unacceptable at any level of footy,” he said.

The State of Origin melee, just before halftime. Picture NRL photos

“That’s just my opinion, that’s footy and they’ve got to make a decision.

“I thought we were going to get the penalty, but again, we just didn’t get the rub of the green tonight. We live with that and that’s footy.”

Murray and Queensland’s Jeremiah Nanai were both sin binned for their actions.

Olakau’atu wasn’t even in the NSW 17 and was wearing his suit when he got involved, rushing into the fray, and was subsequently dismissed by an NRL official at the ground, with the Sea Eagles star unable to return to the field.

Both he and Murray are facing three-game bans if they fight the charges and lose, while NSW 18th man Matt Burton has been fined seven per cent of his match fee for also getting involved.

Felise Kaufusi and Payne Haas have also been hit with grade 1 charges out of the melee, while Nanai, Brian To’o, Reuben Cotter and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow received grade 2 charges following one of the greatest Origin matches of all time.

Maroons veteran Kurt Capewell was also offered fines for two separate grade 1 incidents during the first half of Wednesday’s loss which saw the hosts fail to score a try.