PRO HOPE: Innocent David Leapai is being treated unfairly by copping a ban for teammates' bad behaviour, claims lawyer Terry O'Gorman.
JUNIOR rugby league players banned for six months after wild brawls in Brisbane are being treated like outlaw bikie gangs, according to their lawyer.
The Waterford club has made a third and final appeal to Queensland Rugby League which will be heard on Monday night.
The club says it will consider legal action if the appeal fails.
In October, the QRL's southeast division halved the one-year bans handed to 56 juniors from three clubs after brawls on junior grand final day in September.
The bans, resulting from an under-15 and under-18 game, now end on April 30 and allow players to compete in most of the season.
St Brendans have accepted the new sentence, but Waterford and Wests Centenary are appealing.
Waterford officials maintain that innocent players, including Canberra-contracted David Leapai, are being punished for the sins of teammates.
Leapai was scheduled to be in Canberra preparing to join the Raiders' under-20 team.
Waterford is represented by civil liberties advocate Terry O'Gorman, who said the QRL's sentencing was ludicrous because it punished innocents by association.
O'Gorman compared the QRL's ruling with Queensland's Criminal Organisation Act, currently being challenged in Canberra's High Court.
The Act is targeted at bikie gangs and means members of groups can be banned from associating with certain people, working in an industry or attending a specific place.
"The only analogy for what the QRL has imposed is the Criminal Organisation Act which also imposes bans simply through association," O'Gorman said.
"There are young men here whose careers could be ruined despite the fact they're innocent. The QRL has not even allowed us to attend the next appeal and represent our client."
QRL southeast division manager Michael Pease said Waterford had every right to appeal.
However he said this was not the first time teams had been handed blanket bans.
"We found evidence in previous incidents before imposing the reduced sentences across the team," Pease said. "This is not that unusual."
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