With all that is going on in the rugby league world due to coronavirus, it has been easy to forget about the scandal that proceeded Round 1 involving Corey Harawira-Naera and Jayden Okunbor.
The Canterbury Bulldogs pair were deregistered by the NRL after bringing schoolgirls back to their Port Macquarie hotel rooms during a pre-season trip.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed the sacked duo would appeal the sanctions handed down by the NRL - and the Bulldogs weren't surprised by the decision according to senior reporter Andrew Webster.
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"The Bulldogs weren’t surprised that Okunbor and Harawira-Naera appealed because they had no other course of action, they wanted to get back on the field," he told Big Sports Breakfast.
"The Bulldogs and NRL are pretty strong on the footing that they’ve got. I would be stunned (if the decision was overturned).
"The last time an appeal went to Ian Callanan and QC was when Manly Sea Eagles appealed their salary cap sanctions a few years ago, and they were knocked on the head.
"The NRL for all its faults and all the faults of the integrity unit, are very thorough when they come to a determination with something like this.
"They gave both Bulldogs players a huge and extended amount of time to show cause, so what new evidence might come up I don’t know – but it would want to be very strong to have them overturned."
Okunbor (23) and Harawira-Naera (24) were both stood down prior to the opening round of the season, and were subsequently deregistered by the NRL last week.
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The decision to tear up their contracts was one that surprised many within rugby league circles - and Webster highlighted the course of action that could see them return to rugby league.
"“I was surprised that they were deregistered – I would have thought that a lengthy ban would have been a more likely result," he said.
"The game wanted to make an example of them and they did it pretty strongly.
"Maybe the NRL will tell them these are the things you need to come back and do, courses you have to do – just like they did with people like Shane Flanagan and others that have been breached before."
