2 Apr 2014

Onerous task ahead for NRL judiciary

5:38 am on 2 April 2014

The Australian rugby league legend Ron Coote admits he wouldn't know how to decide the fate of Jordan McLean at what is certain to be an intense and emotional NRL judiciary hearing tomorrow night in Sydney.

The Melbourne prop's chief involvement in a three-man tackle that left the 22 year old Newcastle back-rower Alex McKinnon with a "devastating spinal injury" has been referred directly to the judiciary.

McLean is understood to be deeply distressed by the tragic incident, and he's facing the possibility of a lengthy suspension.

But he could also escape punishment, and New South Wales' captain Paul Gallen summed up the general feeling in the league community yesterday when he said he thought McKinnon fell victim to a freak accident.

Meanwhile Alex McKinninon's Newcastle club have condemned a television report claiming he's been diagnosed as quadriplegic, saying it's still too early to ascertain how much movement he will regain.