Aaron Sweeney suspended for 12 months

Sweeney’s lengthy football career reached a dramatic climax on Tuesday night when the Group Nine board slugged him with a 12 month suspension.

Meeting in Wagga, the Group Nine board called Sweeney to appear on a charge of “contrary conduct” or effectively “bringing the game into disrepute”.

Sweeney, who was represented by the Tumbarumba club solicitor, pleaded guilty the charge under section 48 of the CRL constitution and was subsequently hit with the heavy penalty.

The 12-month ban is one of the longest imposed by the Group Nine board in the modern era and followed Sweeney’s actions during Tumbarumba’s game against Junee at Laurie Daley Oval two weeks ago.

Late in the second half Sweeney was sin-binned by referee Bernie Nix, but remonstrated with members of the crowd before leaving the field under the guidance of Tumbarumba secretary Chris Rynehart.

Shortly after, however, the controversial forward stormed out of the Tumbarumba dressing room in voliation of the sin-bin rules.

For Sweeney, the year-long suspension is the latest chapter in a sorry three-year saga in Group Nine.

Signed amid fanfare in 2013, Sweeney’s tenure at Tumbarumba has been turbulent at times, with the front rower involved in several volatile incidents.

Group Nine operations manager Peter Ryan declared on Wednesday that Sweeney had been given ample opportunity to defend the charge.

Ryan said Group Nine had “drawn a line in the sand” by handing out the stiff punishment.

“We have to look at the image of the game,” Ryan said.

Sweeney was unavailable for comment on Wednesday and Chris Rynehart declined to make a statement.

“I’m at work, so no comment,” Rynehart said.

In evidence at the marathon two-hour hearing, it was claimed Sweeney had been taunted by the vocal Junee crowd during the game and after he was sin-binned.

Ryan said Sweeney now had an “avenue” to appeal against the judgement which bans him from taking any part in rugby league as a player or coach.

“Any appeal will be handled by the CRL and must be lodged by 5pm on Thursday,” Ryan said.

Significantly, the Group Nine board has also called on the CRL to monitor Tumbarumba’s operations after the club was deemed to have infringed the rules of inclusion in the premiership.