KNIGHTS coach Adam O'Brien intends to lay down the law to Jack Hetherington after the fiery forward was sin-binned for the second time in three games on Friday.
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One of the game's most regularly suspended players before joining Newcastle this season, Hetherington was given a 10-minute spell two minutes into the second half at McDonald Jones Stadium.
After being hit high by Wests Tigers' Will Smith - winning Newcastle a penalty - Hetherington reacted in a push and shove and slapped the Tigers playmaker's face.
"You reacted and slapped out afterwards. It's on report and 10 minutes in the bin," referee Peter Gough said following the incident.
The Knights retained their penalty and actually ended up scoring a few plays later, but lost the 27-year-old at a crucial part of the game.
In the space of 22 minutes, the Tigers fought back from 18-0 down to trail 22-18.
Luckily for Hetherington the Knights pushed ahead and secured a 34-18 victory, but it was another worrying brain fade by the former Bulldogs, Warriors and Panthers player.
Prior to joining the Knights, Hetherington had spent a combined 15 weeks on the sidelines for a litany of suspensions he was handed at his former clubs.
He had largely avoided getting into any real trouble with the referees this season up until Newcastle's 20-12 loss to Penrith last month, when he was sin-binned for slapping Panthers centre Izack Tago with three minutes left in the first half.
"Jack's smart enough to understand that they baited him and he fell for it," O'Brien said after Friday's win.
"It's the same incident a couple weeks of weeks ago, or well close together the last one was the Penrith game.
"He knows. He's not a silly boy.
"But he'll understand we've got to be better than that.
"I'll leave him alone this weekend, I'll talk to him on Monday."
Hetherington, one of only four Knights players to have lined up in every game this season, was not charged for the incident and will be free to take on Melbourne at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
Whether O'Brien retains the forward remains to be seen.
The Knights are expected to be near full strength against the Storm with centre Dane Gagai set to return from injury.
The only top-flight regular unavailable for the match will be hooker Jayden Brailey, who is out for the year with a knee injury.
"He was really close for this one," O'Brien said of Gagai pulling out of the Tigers match.
"Just a little bit short.
"Bradman [Best] was adamant he wanted to back up [from Origin III]. I think if he didn't, knowing 'Gags' he would throw the boots on.
"But he'll be right for next week."
Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga continued his electric run of form in Friday's win, setting up three tries and scoring one of his own in what was his 100th appearance for Newcastle.
In his past six games since returning to fullback after a stint at five-eighth, Ponga has averaged 174 run-metres per match, scored three tries, notched eight try-assists and made seven line-breaks and 39 tackle-breaks.
His only issue against the Tigers was goal-kicking, successful in just three of seven conversions.
"He is in a good spot," O'Brien said.
"The confidence that he got when he went to Canada [for concussion tests] and came back, he's really confident in that.
"The positional change; put back to his more preferred position of fullback, and I think the guys around him are playing well too.
"Jackson Hastings and Tyson Gamble are doing a pretty good job. They make sure they run the team and Kalyn gets to pop up, gets a bit more freedom.
"There's a whole heap of variables but none more so than his work ethic, his determination. He has been like that all summer."
Newcastle host Melbourne at 3pm on Saturday.
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