Jordan McLean will serve a seven-game suspension after he was found guilty of a dangerous throw charge on Newcastle's Alex McKinnon that has left him in hospital with a devastating spinal injury.
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A clearly distraught McLean - who played juniors for the Young Cherrypickers and made his debut for Melbourne Storm in June last year - was handed the 725-point suspension on Wednesday night.
However the judiciary panel comprising of former players Bob Lindner, Mal Cochrane and Chris McKenna wouldn't provide a breakdown of what part the injury to McKinnon played in the suspension.
In what’s been described as one of the most anticipated judiciary hearings in NRL history, the suspension is two weeks more than what Canterbury’s Krisnan Inu received for a nasty lifting tackle on South Sydney’s Greg Inglis last year.
Melbourne chief executive Mark Evans fronted the media following the hearing, and while he threw his full support behind McKinnon, believed the seven-game suspension was over the top, and hinted the club would appeal against the ban that has rubbed McLean out until Round 13 against the Roosters.
