'Had to be dragged away': O'Brien stunned as NRL probes sin ...

The NRL are investigating a heated altercation between Knights forward Jack Hetherington and Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney in the tunnel after they were sent to the sin bin.

O’Brien was asked about an incident between Hetherington and Mahoney in the tunnel during the Bulldogs’ 36-12 win over the Knights.

Both players were sin-binned in the second half for a continuing verbal exchange that included a melee, but after they were sent to the sin bin Hetherington confronted Mahoney in the tunnel and had to be dragged away by staff.

“In the game between the Bulldogs and the Knights there was a little bit of a tussle between Jack Hetherington and Reed Mahoney,” Braith Anasta said on Fox League.

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“This is in the tunnel which the NRL are now investigating, which looks a little bit like they are joking, but then serious.”

“When you watch this vision, both of them were in a heated argument on the field,” Corey Parker added.

“The referee was going to leave them on the field. He then opted to send them for 10 in the bin and then we see the footage.

“It is hard to see whether Hetherington is joking. He has got a smile on his face, but well and truly pushes Reed.

“Reed was not real sure what to do. He was shaping up. He was bouncing. I don’t know if they are good mates or not.”

“I don’t think they are Corey,” Anasta replied.

“I know Jack quite well and although he may look like he is geeing up, I don’t think he is. I think he is serious.”

“The support staff react quickly so it gives off like he is joking around to start with, but the support staff come in, so that is a crazy scene to see in the tunnel,” Cooper Cronk added.

“He is a little bit crazy Jack, I am not surprised by that footage,” Anasta said.

Brent Read asked O’Brien about the incident in his press conference.

“There was an incident in the tunnel when Jack Hetherington got sin-binned where he confronted Reed Mahoney,” Read said.

“I don’t know what you have heard about that but apparently he had to be dragged away from Reed Mahoney.

“He came out of the dressing room as Reed Mahoney came off and confronted him when they were both in the sin bin. Are you aware of that?”

“No, nothing, I don’t even know what you are talking about,” O’Brien said.

“There is vision of Jack coming at Reed Mahoney,” Matt Russell said.

“He has come out of the dressing room and he’s confronted him in the tunnel,” Read interjected.

“I don’t know anything about this,” O’Brien said.

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Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo was also asked about the incident.

“I have heard some stuff in there, but I don’t think it is too serious,” Ciraldo said.

“Jack is a good fella. I ahve known Jack for a long time. He is a good guy. Sometimes he gets emotional, but he is a genuinely good person so I don’t think there is too much in it.

“Reed didn’t go into much detail. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, but its done now.”

O’Brien was pressed on what he made of the double sin-binning.

“I don’t know what they both got sin-binned for?” O’Brien said.

“I was sitting in the box. Was it for carrying on with it verbally?

“I don’t know it is just another example that we are playing frustrated at the moment and this other stuff I don’t know anything about it.”

Ciraldo was also pressed on the sin bins.

“It was the longest last four minutes of any game I have seen so I am glad they did something to get it going again,” Ciraldo said.

“I think they were just cooling it down, but its done now we will move on.”

O’Brien also gave an update on Kalyn Ponga’s injury, which was a ligament in his foot.

“It is nothing to so with the hip pointer,” O’Brien said.

“It is a ligament in the foot. As far as I know it is pretty rare, so not great signs for us, but I couldn’t tell you exactly what it is, but it is a ligament that goes down under the foot.

“That muscle is pretty rare apparently. I have only had like 30 seconds just to give you guys some sort of information.

“Its not good. You will find out tomorrow when he gets some scans and you will get a decent answer.”

O’Brien was bitterly disappointed with his side’s performance off a 10 day turnaround.

“Yep, me, players, staff, everyone, yeah we’re very disappointed,” O’Brien said.

“We had a great training. Got the right amount of rest, which is what we needed first and foremost and we had a great training run.

“I didn’t foresee any of this. I mean obviously the thing that I could foresee was some missing personnel and we weren’t as familiar with each other on that edge, but you know that’s our training week and that can’t be blamed. I didn’t see it coming.”