It’s been a relatively quite month for the NRL judiciary—but that all changed during a hectic Round 21.
Last weekend saw the most charges laid since the controversial Round 8 sin bin blitz that led to 20 separate charges by the Match Review Committee, with eight players subsequently suspended and others receiving $14,350 in fines.
Three weeks earlier, Round 5 actually set the previous record for fines in 2025, with 17 players charged, four suspensions and combined penalties handed out totalling $16,600.
But Round 21 saw the NRL judiciary take things to a whole new level.
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Across the eight NRL games, 14 players were found guilty of offences ranging from crusher tackles and tripping to shoulder charges—resulting in three suspensions and a whopping $21,300 in fines.
Of the suspended trio, hardest hit was South Sydney’s Jack Wighton who lost his shoulder charge challenge and was rubbed out for four weeks.
Meanwhile, Warriors prop Jackson Ford and Canberra five-eighth Ethan Strange were both slugged with $3,000 fines for dangerous tackles.
Where does the fine money go?
According to the NRL, ‘All fines must be paid by the player and the revenue generated by the payment of fines will be reinvested in player wellbeing and education related initiatives’.
Final Judiciary results from Round 21 NRL Telstra Premiership fixtures pic.twitter.com/zp97AzPSBj
— Rugby League Central (@NRLMedia) July 29, 2025