Ex Super League star’s finger in buttocks leads to further caution

Corey Norman made the leap to Super League last year battling against the likes of Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves.

There was a short period when it looked like the former NRL star could drag Warrington into relegation trouble as Toulouse mounted a late bid for survival but they were crucially beaten at the Halliwell Jones.

The game was a double blow for Norman who was hit with a mammoth ban for other contrary behaviour.

He then moved to the Elite One Championship where he was allowed to play which has seen a caution handed out to the French Federation.

International Rugby League made the following statement:

“Following a Misconduct Committee hearing on 29 August, the Federation Française de Rugby 13 has been cautioned for breaching IRL operational rule 13.6, around the universal recognition of sanctions.

“FFR13 pleaded guilty to the charge, which was in respect of Corey Norman being permitted to play in the 2022-23 Elite 1 Championship for FC Lezignan XIII, despite four games of a suspension applied by the RFL at the end of the 2022 Super League season remaining on his record.

“The IRL Misconduct Committee was chaired by Karim Khan and side panellists Jane Aldred and Ian Smith.”

The offence came when Norman was playing for Toulouse against Warrington on the 11th of August 2022 with the Australian picking up an eight match ban for a Grade F charge of ‘inappropriate conduct’.

The Operational Rules Tribunal stated to Norman that he “behaved in a manner contrary to the spirt of the game, in that you interfered with an opponent who was on the ground following a tackle and you placed your hand/fingers between his buttocks. The Panel believe that your actions were unnecessary, against the spirit of the game and had the potential to injure your opponent.”

Norman had pleaded guilty but evidence against him found that his ‘left arm moved unnaturally to the buttock area of his opponent on top of the shorts’ with a ‘grasping and clenching motion applied’.

The incident involved now Leigh Leopards star and Challenge Cup Final winner Oliver Holmes prior to his departure from Warrington.