Teenager banned for 20 years after wild brawl

An Australian 16-year-old has been banned from playing rugby league for 20 years after a mass brawl in a junior final at the weekend.

Two of the boy's team-mates were also handed long suspensions, while another 10 players have been ordered to face a judiciary probe following Saturday's punch-up.

Australian police are considering bringing charges against parents who allegedly cheered on their teenage sons during the fight.

One player suffered a broken nose and a fractured eye socket and several others were left with cuts and bruises.

"I am totally disgusted by the behaviour that I saw in that footage," New South Wales state assistant commissioner of police Denis Clifford told reporters yesterday.

"I think the footage of the parents cheering from the sideline and high-fiving the players involved in the brawl - it's the thing that disgusted me the most."

While fights are not uncommon in rugby league, and players and parents have been given lifetime bans, the melee between Blacktown City and Lower Mountains could not have come at a worse time for a sport that has been plagued by off-field drama this season.

The amateur footage, which was broadcast on Australian television, showed several Blacktown players attacking their opponents. The Blacktown coach was sacked.

The Lower Mountains players were commended for not retaliating and given complimentary tickets to tomorrow night's NRL playoff between Canterbury and Parramatta.