STOP PRESS:

The threat of lethal action last night has saved the playing career of troubled star Jules “Scatto” Neal – for the time being at least.
Despite attempts by Neal's club management at a separate emergency season in Brisbane earlier last night to play down the seriousness of his off-field antics in recent weeks, the game's governing body, the JDG, had planned to end the star's career at its own judiciary committee hearing in Sydney less than two hours later.
But Neal turned the table on his accusers and would-be executioners when he turned up at the hearing flanked by his management executives and three top Sydney QCs, two of whom were believed to be packing heat.
Mr John Woodlow, chief executive officer of Organic Fertilisers Australia, Neal's chief corporate sponsor, made an impassioned plea for Neal to be given another chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the public, especially as he was about to appear in a high-density media advertising campaign for the company's new range of liquid manure fertilisers.
Woodlow's emotional submission was followed immediately by lengthy argument from the high-powered QCs, who argued forcefully that it was in not only everyone's best interest - but the game's as well - for Neal to be cleared of any wrong-doing.
With all meters running, the lawyers argued that it would be un-Australian to sack Neal without giving him the benefit of the 300 official warnings that natural justice demanded.
"The silks also told us of our duty of care," a shaken JDG chairman Brain Benson told a media scrum outside the league's George Street headquarters just before midnight. "They said we had a duty to be very careful about what action we decided to take.
"The QCs also reminded us that the Picket League had always been one big happy family," Benson added. "And I'd certainly like to see mine again."