Titans prepare Laffranchi's NRL defence
The Gold Coast Titans may ask Newcastle forward Mark Taufua to appear as a key defence witness for Anthony Laffranchi in his bid to beat a low grade striking charge at Wednesday night's NRL judiciary.
Laffranchi will plead not guilty to a grade one striking charge in that he used his forearm to Taufua's head in a tackle in the 21st minute of the game.
Titans boss Michael Searle said on Tuesday there was a "big chance" his club could contact Newcastle's chief executive Steve Burraston to see how Taufua would feel about being a witness.
"I believe after the game he (Taufua) commented he was shocked the player had been put on report for it," Searle told AAP on Tuesday.
"That tells me it was probably incidental contact and that it wasn't reckless."
There would be a little irony if the Gold Coast pursued Taufua to help their player, Laffranchi last week seemingly disinterested in helping out Souths rake Issac Luke after he was charged with and ultimately found guilty of a grade one striking charge against the Titan.
The Kiwi hooker missed the Test against Australia as a result.
Titans coach John Cartwright will fly to Sydney along with Laffranchi on Wednesday with the club engaging the services of barrister Geoff Bellew as their legal counsel.
They'll argue Laffranchi was not guilty of a reckless act with the contact to Taufua's head being incidental or accidental.
"Often in a contact sport like rugby league there's incidental or accidental contact," said Searle.
"As a club we need to ensure the fabric of the game is not diluted by some of these striking charges.
"I am a rugby league purist.
"Our game is about body contact, physicality and aggression and occasionally there's going to be incidental or accidental contact.
"But if we continue to go down that path of some of these charges that are being levelled, we are going to become a game of touch football."
Searle said Laffranchi didn't have a malicious bone in his body.
"Anthony affects between 40 and 50 tackles a game and when a player like that is put on report for such an incidental thing we have a responsibility to defend it," he said.
"If it was a grade three striking charge we wouldn't defend it.
"But when it is a grade one and we feel it is incidental or accidental, I think we've got an obligation to the player to pursue it on his behalf."
Laffranchi will miss the chance to play in Scott Prince's 200th premiership game against Brisbane on Friday night if he is unsuccessful at the judiciary.
Melbourne five-eighth Brett Finch has no such concerns after taking an early plea to a charge of using his feet in a dangerous fashion on the weekend which clears him to play against Canberra on Monday.
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