Warilla Gorillas player Tyrone Roberts hit with 18-game suspension

The Warilla Gorillas five-eighth was sent from the field following an ugly incident in his side's round-eight clash with Jamberoo, with the panel reviewing footage that showed the 20-year-old hit a Roos rival with a deliberate high shot before following up with two further strikes.

He was eventually dragged away by his own teammates, with the on-field referee immediately dispatching Roberts to the sideline where he invited Jamberoo players to continue the confrontation.

The seriousness of the matter saw it immediately referred to the NSWRL where he faced multiple striking and reckless high tackle charges.

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Group Seven general manager Ashton Sims said the Group supported the process, but stressed the incident does not reflect the behaviours and attitudes of the competition or its clubs.

"Tyrone Roberts will be suspended from all rugby league for a period of 18 matches," Sims said.

"It's always disappointing when you see things like that on the field. We're very proud of what Group Seven's about and we pride ourselves on being a family friendly environment. We've taken very proactive steps in that regard.

"On the field, we want to make sure we're a competition where you play hard, you can play aggressive, but you play fair, you respect referees, you respect opposition.

"There's always going to be hiccups along the way in any rugby league competition, that's just part and parcel of playing a gladiatorial sport. What we need to do is make sure we mitigate big issues from happening and ensure that people are held accountable for their actions.

"Tyrone's a very talented player, on his day he's one of the best in our competition and in community rugby league, but he's got to be accountable for his actions."

Roberts will be out of action for the best part of two seasons, but Sims said Group Seven will look to ensure the one-time prospective NRL star is not lost to the game.

"It was a spur of the moment thing from Tyrone and he's very remorseful," Sims said.

"We're not condoning his behaviors or actions, but there have been a fair few things going on in his life at the moment that have unfortunately come to a head in a game.

"He's committed to seeking help off the field to get himself right. I've spoken to him a couple of times this week in regards to what steps we can take to help him seek some professional support.

"At the end of the day we don't want to leave him out in the cold. We want to make sure we support him as best as we can and link him into appropriate support that he needs to be the best version of himself."

It's a black eye for the Gorillas, but Sims also stressed it's not indicative of the culture at the club.

"What I will say is that this incident isn't the true fabric of what the Warilla Gorillas are built on," Sims said.

"They've got a really proud, strong history there. We've got hundreds and hundreds of hard-working committee members all across Group Seven striving for their club to be the best it can be

"We've got so many great people in club land and, in the Warilla Gorillas, we've got a club built on the tireless efforts of committee members that have got them back to being the reigning premiers.

"Obviously this is not a great look, but it's about what we do with it now and what actions get taken from here to learn from this moment and be a better competition, which is what we're striving to be every day."

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