Bulldogs duo face contrary conduct charges

Canterbury’s David Klemmer and James Graham look almost certain to face contrary conduct charges from the NRL’s match review committee on Monday following Friday’s explosive clash with South Sydney.

The fiery Bulldogs skipper is in under scrutiny after his reaction to being penalised for attacking the legs of Adam Reynolds as he lined up a late field goal attempt at ANZ Stadium.

Reynolds was left with knee ligament damage following the incident that saw Graham placed on report.

Referee Gerard Sutton subsequently enforced the little-known ruling that states a penalty must be taken from 10 metres should the kicker be impeded.

It led to him being surrounded by an apoplectic Graham and Klemmer who was then sin-binned for abusive language.

The pair has been accused of inciting the Bulldogs fans with a section of the crowd hurling projectiles at the officials as they exited the field.

The NRL are likely to conclude their probe into the events that proceeded the game later this week, but the match review committee will release their charge sheet from the first five games of the round on Monday.

In addition to Klemmer and Graham, Bulldogs centre Josh Morris is facing a stint on the sidelines after kicking Issac Luke in the head as he scored what turned out to be an eight-point try for the Rabbitohs.

Luke could also be in trouble with the NRL following his homophobic Tweet aimed at Bulldogs fans who were slamming players on the social media site.

The Bulldogs are potentially facing a points deduction following the behaviour of their supporters with a suspended penalty hanging over the club from 11 years ago when they last caused problems at an NRL ground.

But they found an unlikely ally in the form of Brad Arthur, coach of bitter rivals Parramatta on Sunday.

“I seriously don’t think they should be (deducted points),” Arthur said.

“But that’s up to the NRL to make those decisions, it’s got nothing to do with me.”

Police say they are continuing to investigate the bottle throwing, with two men identified and legal action expected against them.

They also face bans for life from NRL matches.

In separate incidents outside the stadium, a 21-year-old Rabbitohs fan was knocked down and received a cut above his eye after being allegedly shoulder-barged from behind post-match.

A 38-year-old was arrested and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm over the incident and granted conditional bail.

A 22-year-old man has also been arrested and charged over the alleged assault in which a boy was pushed to the ground not long after kick-off.

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