Ravalawa was sent straight to justice for verbal abuse

Mikaele Ravalawa’s hopes of returning to the St. George Illawarra’s NRL performance has been relegated once again, with the winger being sent straight to the NSWRL justice system for verbal abuse.

On Monday, Ravalawa was charged by the NSWRL with swearing at a touch judge during Friday’s New South Wales Cup match against Parramatta.

The winger was sent off late in the game after venting his frustration when the Eels’ winning try was allowed despite a clearance mark.

Ravalawa is understood to have told the referee “what the f***” after awarding the try which allowed Parramatta to take an 18-14 lead.

After the competition, a remorseful Ravalawa approached the official to apologize.

“I apologized after the match,” Ravalawa said.

“It wasn’t professional, I’m sorry.”

On Monday, the NSWRL decided against giving Ravalawa a pre-determined rating and left it to the court to decide on the winger’s penalty on Thursday evening.

Ravalawa could be one of the most damaging wingers in the NRL at his best, scoring 67 tries in 96 NRL games as well as topping the Dragons charts in 2021.

But now he’s outside in Wollongong.

Ravalawa, under contract until the end of 2026, was dropped two weeks ago even though Saints already had their defense decimated.

He seems to have fallen behind Mat and Max Feagai, as well as Sione Finau, in the pecking order.

“He’s been struggling with knee and foot injuries over the last few months and I don’t think we’ve seen Mika’s best form,” coach Shane Flanagan said at the time.

“The team was told many times that I would give the older players some freedom, but I had to field the best team on the market.”

Any ban will deprive Ravalawa of the chance to regain selection in the near future, and the NSWRL suspensions will also carry over to the NRL.