Werner cops two-match ban after being found guilty of biting

Broncos winger Ashleigh Werner has been suspended for two matches after being found guilty of biting Roosters winger Jayme Fressard in last Saturday night's loss on the Sunshine Coast.

In an emotional two-hour hearing, an upset Werner was adamant she did not bite Fressard on the arm after the Roosters winger made contact with her face in the 54th minute.

Fressard gave evidence on Tuesday night, appearing via video link to discuss images taken both post-match and as late as Tuesday afternoon on the marks that remain on her arm from the incident.

The photographic evidence and Fressard's description of what she felt occur was enough for the panel to agree with the Roosters winger with Werner to miss upcoming matches against the Titans and Cowboys.

Werner, who was on NRLW debut against the Roosters, claimed throughout the evening that Fressard's force with her arm in her face had caused the pressure.

"I am devastated but accept the decision," Werner said in a statement.

"I would never intentionally hurt anyone, it's not in my nature, it's not in my character. My focus now is on supporting my teammates and I look forward to re-joining them when I can."

Recap the judiciary hearing of Ash Werner below.

8.05pm - Werner will receive a two-match ban.

7:52pm - The panel is now deliberating on whether Werner should be suspended for one or two matches.

7:50pm - Broncos representative Darren Robb, the club's NRLW operations and programs manager, asks for a one-match ban.

7:45pm - NRL prosecutor Lachlan Gyles has asked for Broncos winger Ash Werner to be banned for two matches after she was found guilty of biting Roosters opposite Jayme Fressard.

Gyles said that based on a nine round NRLW competition, two matches was a sufficient penalty.   

7:40pm - Werner has been found guilty. It took panel members Tarsha Gale and Greg McCallum just 12 minutes to decide the verdict.

7:30pm - Panel members Tarsha Gale and Greg McCallum are now deliberating on their verdict. If they are unable to agree, judiciary chair Chris O'Brien will have the casting vote.

If Werner is found guilty, the hearing will resume to debate what penalty should be imposed.

7:10pm - Robb counters during his summation and questions the evidence given by Fressard. 

"The be able to suggest that Ash moves her head forward [to bite] is incorrect. Her head is controlled by Fressard. She has no control of her head at the point of contact." 

7:05pm - Werner is in tears as Gyles gives his summary to the panel members.

Gyles says the former Australian bobsled representative is a respected sportswoman who was making her NRLW debut and acknowledges that it would not have been a pre-meditated act but the evidence is too strong to ignore.

He said the photos supplied by Fressard shows that there was definitely a bite .

6:50pm - Werner said she heard Fressard yell, “she bit me”, and yelled in resonse: “Your arm is in my face”.

“There’s no voluntarily head movement from me at all," Werner said. "She’s continuing to put pressure on me as she is in motion. There has never been a moment in my life where I’m out to injure or hurt anyone. It’s not in my nature.”

6:45pm - Giving evidence, Werner said she felt an arm press into her mouth after being tackled by Fressard and Jess Sergis.

"I made a run, went to ground after being tackled by Fressard and Sergis and heard the ref yell something and turned my head," she said. "As I’m looking at the ref I felt downward pressure of my neck.

"I then felt a swinging motion of an arm go into my mouth. I had a blocked nose that night, and in the week leading in, and couldn’t breath out of my nose. I had already been struggling to breathe.

"I felt pressure into my mouth guard and that’s not very comfortable but there’s no intent in any way shape or form to connect with her [arm]. The only thing going through my head was to play the ball."

6:40pm - Robb is cross examining Fressard, and asked whether her arm came into contact with Werner's mouth to apply pressure to hold her down.

“I would’ve been using force to keep her down in the tackle," Fressard said. "Squeezing is probably not the term. I was doing my best to keep her down. I wouldn’t say I had pressure around her head when I was making the tackle, no.”

6:35pm - Fressard has provided photos taken afterwards, showing four puncture marks of slightly different sizes.

"It's not as sore now but the scabs are still there," she said. "The left arm was definitely more swollen in that area."

6:30pm - Asked by Gyles if the bite was forceful, Fressard said: "Yes, definitely". 

6:25pm - Fressard tells NRL prosecutor Lachlan Gyles that she was bitten on the forearm after tackling Werner.

"During the tackle as I bought my arm over and had it close to my head I felt a clench and I had to rip my arm out of the tackle after I felt a bite," Fressard said. "One or two seconds after my arm was placed on her, that's when I felt the the bite on my forearm."

6:25pm - Roosters winger Jayme Fressard is giving evidence via an online call. 

6:15pm - Werner is appearing via video link from Brisbane. She is being represented by Broncos NRLW operations and programs manager Darren Robb.

6:10pm -The hearing has begun at Rugby League Central before judiciary chair Chris O'Brien and panel members Tarsha Gale and Greg McCallum.

Werner has pleaded not guilty to the charge after being directly referred to the NRL Judiciary by the Match Review Committee on Sunday.

She was given her marching orders during the match after Roosters winger Jayme Fressard accused the NRLW debutant of biting her arm in the 54th minute.

The complaint and replays were enough for the match officials to react on field with Werner to now plead her case in front of a three-person panel. 

Opposing coaches Scott Prince and John Strange had differing opinions on the incident post-match.

"I guess from the vision it doesn't look that good but any time an arm or hand is around someone's head and in contact with the teeth, knowing from experience it actually feels like someone is biting at you," Prince said.

"We'll see what happens. She's got a mouthguard in and a bit of contact with the teeth... if there's marks we'll have to trust her (Fressard's) judgment."

Strange though refuted Prince's suggestions, indicating Fressard was adamant a bite had occurred.

"There's teeth marks in her arm so not sure if the mouthguard is shaped like teeth but there's a fair bit of blood and a teeth mark," Strange said. 

"She's not too happy but we'll leave that up to the judiciary. It's unfortunate that's happened in the game but she will be OK."

Werner's send-off was the first in NRLW history but not the first biting incident with Raiders winger Madison Bartlett, while playing for the Dragons, receiving a one-match ban last year for pleading guilty to biting then-Eel Sereana Naitokatoka.

Meanwhile, Cowboys centre Mia Middleton has been suspended for two matches for a dangerous throw in Saturday's loss to the Titans.

Middleton was sin-binned for the incident, deemed a Grade Two Dangerous Throw by the Match Review, which left Emily Bass injured and unable to finish the match.

NRLW Judiciary Results - Round 1