Likely Ashes starter and former Super League forward escapes NRL ban after headbutt

A former Super League forward who is in line to start for England in this year’s Ashes has escaped an NRL ban after an alleged headbutt.

Shaun Wane has plenty of options to pick from at loose forward in this autumn’s Ashes series, including NRL star Victor Radley who has recently been advised to retire by a medical professional after his latest concussion.

NRL-bound Morgan Knowles will also be in with a shout for selection whilst Elliot Minchella is another option, however, one of the frontrunners is former Wigan Warriors man Morgan Smithies.

Smithies made his switch to the NRL ahead of the 2024 season and has had a massive impact at Canberra Raiders, who currently sit second in the table following their win over Wests Tigers on Friday morning.

The former Super League man has been reprimanded by the NRL judiciary after that game for ‘striking’ after an alleged headbutt attempt.

Morgan Smithies escapes NRL ban after headbutt

Carrying the ball into contact, Smithies found himself in the midst of three Wests tacklers including Fonua Pole who appeared to be trying to wrap the ball.

Smithies then threw his head forward, making contact with Pole, in a clear headbutt action that left the Englishman with blood streaming down his face.

Whilst many expected a ban to be handed down by the NRL judiciary, Smithies was only fined for the incident.

Charged with a grade one dangerous contact offence of striking, Smithies  will be fined $1,500 if he enters a guilty plea with the incident being his first offence this season.

He has yet to make his plea but can arguably count himself very lucky based on the available footage. You can see the incident in the embedded tweet below.

That 2nd angle of the headbutt shows Adam gee standing right in front with the perfect view, if a tigers player does that they’re getting life in jail. #NRL @WestsTigers https://t.co/pLhjWisTfX pic.twitter.com/6Cus9VNqI0

— Tiger96🐅 (@Tiger_T96) June 21, 2025