Daniel Conn and his Gold Coast teammates were still seething yesterday at the "king hit" that led to Canberra prop Michael Weyman's being sent off on Saturday night, but the rookie Titans back-rower may also find himself with a judiciary charge over the ugly 66th-minute incident at Skilled Park.
A battered Conn, who had a nasty cut under his right eye and a broken nose, turned up at yesterday's Queensland Cup clash between Tweed Heads Seagulls and Souths Logan fuming about the punch he called a "cheap shot", while Gold Coast second-rower Mark Minichiello called for Weyman to be referred directly to the judiciary and suspended for up to eight matches.
"He should be definitely looking at six to eight weeks," Minichiello told reporters at an eventful Titans recovery session at Kurrawa Beach, during which a distressed Scott Prince was washed out to sea in the big surf. "I think we're all pretty dirty about it. I know I am. I kind of wish I was there at second marker, but everyone knows what happens when you have a man come running in."
With Weyman's punch sparking a wild melee, the entire incident will be scrutinised today by the match review committee and there could be further players charged.
Weyman last night declined to comment on whether he had been provoked in the tackle before he lashed out at Conn after getting to his feet to play the ball, but the match review committee will closely study footage of the pair tangled on the ground to determine if anything had prompted his actions.
Conn said he wasn't sure why Weyman had reacted.
"I put on a second tackle and sort of went for the ball and he didn't like something. I don't know if it was the other person in the tackle or a brain snap on his behalf."
Minichiello told AAP: "Conny definitely didn't provoke him in any way. I don't know what the hell went through his head … I think it was frustration. He wasn't having the best of games and he was dropping a few balls. When you are not playing well you want to try and do something, but that's not the right thing to do."
Weyman is expected to receive a suspension similar to that of Melbourne prop Brett White or South Sydney front-rower Jaiman Lowe. White was banned for four matches earlier this season on a grade-four striking charge. Lowe received a five-game penalty for punching Titans centre Brett Delaney last year.
Meanwhile, lifeguards launched a rescue boat in an attempt to pull Prince from a strong rip after he got into trouble during a beach training exercise.
With teammates unable to reach him, Prince was forced to wave furiously to lifeguards but he struggled to get their attention and eventually made it back to shore on his own.
Television stations showed footage of a concerned Prince struggling in rough surf. "It was pretty scary but I'm from the bush so … they nearly had to look for another halfback," 28-year-old Prince said. "I was struggling. I was just tired and it was that rough, but I was under the pump."
Lifeguard Nathan Reeves said: "We keep an eye on our local boys, we want to make sure that they stay fit and healthy, and keep winning."
In other news, Parramatta halfback Brett Finch faces an anxious wait after he and teammates Daniel Wagon and Joel Reddy were placed on report for a lifting tackle on North Queensland back-rower Luke O'Donnell during the Eels' 38-14 defeat in Townsville on Saturday. Replays suggested Finch has the most to worry about.
