'There was no bite': Gallen adamant Proctor hard done by

Kevin Proctor should not have been sent off against Cronulla and should not be suspended over an alleged bite, according to Sharks legend Paul Gallen.

Speaking on pan66.com's Sunday Session podcast, the Channel Nine commentator said while he believed Sharks halfback Shaun Johnson would have felt teeth on his arm, that was because the halfback's forearm was pressed into the Titans skipper's mouth, not because there was any biting action from Proctor.

The on-field officials conferred after Johnson initially reacted to the incident but did not wish to make a formal complaint, finding there was enough evidence to send Proctor off 55 minutes into his 250th NRL game.

Proctor has been referred directly to the judiciary and will face the music on Tuesday night.

The Kiwi veteran, who has told that he would "fight to the death" to clear his name, was adamant he did not bite Johnson and said due to sinus problems, he was struggling to breathe as the Cronulla half's forearm jammed into his mouth.

Gallen said when he first saw the footage he didn't believe that was it.

"He didn't bite him," Gallen said.

"I was at the races when I saw it and I didn't know if that was it when they replayed it. I didn't think that was the actual incident.

"Then to see him get sent from the field, I thought that was a huge error from the referees, to send the opposition captain off at the 25th minute mark [remaining] when it's 12-all - did they see bite marks on his arm? Did they investigate? I couldn't believe they sent him off. He didn't bite him."

Just because Johnson felt teeth on his arm that was not enough to convict Proctor, he added, with the 22-Test veteran never having been suspended by the judiciary in his career.

"If you look where Shaun's head is, I watched this over and over, Shaun didn't exactly know where his arm was," Gallen added.

"I think Shaun must have thought his arm was maybe around his chest or neck area, and he's felt his bottom row of teeth and it's shocked him.

"But as far as biting down, I watched it over and over, I can't see any vision where he's chomping down or biting down where his mouth, his bottom part of his jaw or his mouth guard moves in a biting direction. I can't see it. I don't think he bit him and hopefully that's where it ends."

Proctor's angry and bewildered reaction on the field was more evidence he had not done the wrong thing, according to Gallen.

"When you know you've done something wrong and it's been caught on camera, you almost look a little bit sheepish and embarrassed," he said.

"He was infuriated. He was going off at the fact he'd been accused of it.

"Shaun Johnson's a former teammate of mine and I'm a Sharks man and it was beneficial to the Sharks, the fact he got sent off but I've got to be honest in my assessment of it. I don't think he bit him.

"I spoke to Sharks officials today – there was no bite mark, there was no evidence, there's no photo of it. I don't know what evidence there was on the field as far as being a bite mark."