Brothers Brett and Glenn Stewart arriving for training at Manly. Photo / Getty Images
A Manly player named Stewart is in trouble - but no, this time it isn't Brett, who had highly-publicised problems with drunkenness earlier this season.
This time it's his brother and Sea Eagles teammate Glenn Stewart who will be facing the National Rugby League judiciary in Sydney tonight, fighting to
save his place in the Blues side for his State of Origin debut next week.
Back-rower Stewart is facing a one-week ban for a dangerous throw charge and the Manly club has hired leading defence counsel Geoff Bellew SC to lead the Sea Eagles battle to avoid suspension.
Stewart has played five test matches for Australia but has yet to debut for NSW.
He was one of eight rookies named by coach Craig Bellamy on Monday night, picked to make his first appearance for NSW off the interchange bench.
Bellamy meanwhile has appealed to the referees Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne to show "common sense" in policing next Wednesday's series opener at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.
Referees have been under-siege in recent weeks with crucial incorrect decisions and sin-binnings among the gripes from NRL coaches.
Bellamy has faith in the game's two most experienced whistleblowers to deliver a controversy-free Origin encounter.
"Hopefully it will be free of incidents and the game will be decided by the players," said Bellamy.
"We're going to have two of the most experienced referees in the competition refereeing the game so you would imagine some of the inconsistencies that have come up have probably been because of the difference in experience of the referees.
"I don't think there'll be too many inconsistencies."
When pressed about the rise in sin-binnings, with eight players given 10 minutes rest over the past three NRL rounds, Bellamy urged for common sense from Hayne and Archer.
"I think the referees decided to take a stand in some of those games and so I think in Origin there will be a lot of common sense and you would like to think so," he said.
"At the end of the day it's a huge penalty to lose a player that has been caught offside on his tryline and he hasn't infringed before. I don't think that is going to happen."
- AAP
