Rugby league-More woe for NRL after bottle thrown, bottom grabbed

SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - The National Rugby League (NRL) was back in damage control mode on Tuesday after a fan was ejected from a game for throwing a glass bottle at players, while Josh Reynolds of the Canterbury Bulldogs whipped up a storm by grabbing an opponent's bottom. The sport, which dominates the headlines in the strongholds of Sydney and Brisbane, has battled to restore its reputation after issues with anti-social behaviour from players both on and off the pitch in recent years. That continued on Monday when television footage showed Bulldogs playmaker Reynolds grabbing the bottom of Canberra Raiders' Aidan Sezer as he fed a scrum during their match, which the Raiders won 22-8. Australian media heavily criticized Reynolds' stunt and compared it to a 2001 incident involving John Hopoate, who was found guilty of inserting his finger into the anuses of three opposition players and banned for 12 weeks. Reynolds downplayed the incident on Tuesday, saying it was a joke between friends. "Just want to clear up the incident with Aiden Sezer last night. We're good mates and it was just a bit of a joke. I hope no harm done," he wrote on Twitter. Monday's match was also tainted by a fan being ejected from the ground for throwing a glass bottle towards the Raiders players sitting near the field of play. The bottle did not hit any of the players and instead smashed on an exercise bike, local media reported. The man was ejected from the ground and the Bulldogs condemned his actions. "It's not acceptable," Bulldogs Chief Executive Raelene Castle said in a statement. "Absolutely not acceptable. We'll be doing all we can to make sure that we communicate with our fans that that behaviour is not acceptable. "I can only assume that person has snuck it in. We believe we know who the person is." Last month the NRL banned Sydney Roosters' Mitchell Pearce for eight games and fined him A$125,000 ($91,325), with A$50,000 suspended, after he was filmed simulating sex with a dog. In 2014, the same player was fined A$20,000 and stood down by the Roosters for a week after he was ejected from a Sydney nightclub following a complaint by a female patron. Canberra Raiders and Australia winger Joel Monaghan quit the NRL in 2010 after a photo of him simulating a lewd act with a dog during post-season celebrations was circulated on social media. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Peter Rutherford)