Wagga City coach Nathan Honeyman has been given a caution after criticising the refereeing performance in the Southern Inland grand final.
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Honeyman fronted the Southern Inland judiciary on Thursday night after being charged under the Australian Rugby Union code of conduct.
He was charged over Rule L, which states participants are not to show unnecessary obvious dissension, displeasure or disapproval, whether on or off the field, towards a referee, touch judge or other match official.
In a Facebook post following his team’s loss to Waratahs in the grand final on August 20, Honeyman declared the refereeing “an absolute disgrace”.
He said of Paul Dean and Sam Donelan “Karma will come to you… you are an absolute joke!”
He also questioned Paul Dean being handed grand final responsibilities.
But after pleading guilty and showing remorse, the judiciary gave him a caution.
The Daily Advertiser was not only locked out of the hearing but out of the entire building on Thursday night.
Honeyman refused to comment after the hearing.
It is believed his outburst was in relation to an incident involving Waratahs halfback Sam Hobbs and City’s Drew Martin.
Hobbs will miss the first round of next season after being found guilty on Thursday night of striking Martin in the decider.
He pleaded guilty and had a four-week suspension downgraded to one game and one trial after the incident was ruled as a retaliatory act.