Twin brother David will also come under scrutiny from the NRL's integrity unit for his role in the verbal barrage towards Penrith match officials at an A-Grade game on Saturday. But it is Andrew who could be punished more heavily because of his chequered past. He was fined $10,000 for abusing a photographer at last year's Mad Monday celebration while he was investigated for a road-rage incident last August. While he faces an uncertain long-term future, the Sharks management stood firm and failed to stand down the Fifita twins for their clash against Canterbury at Belmore Oval on Sunday afternoon. Andrew played but David was injured at Saturday's captain's run and did not feature in the game. Cronulla chief executive Lyall Gorman defended the club's stance. "We don't have all the facts in relation to standing players down," Gorman said. "I know it's a limp line in some ways but there is a process that has to occur here out of respect to every stakeholder in the game. The club has formed a view at a higher level and it's up to the coach from there that the players won't be stood down until all the facts are available to us." Formal complaints have been made against the pair who were on hand to watch an A-grade game between St Josephs and St Marys in Glenwood, where David acted as an on-field trainer and Andrew was a spectator.

It has been alleged that at least one of the Fifita brothers threatened the referees with physical abuse in reports submitted by Penrith match officials. The Penrith District Junior Rugby League will decide on Monday if the players face bans. Any suspension by the Penrith district would not be enforceable in the NRL, however, the Sharks or the NRL would most likely add to their punishment. Gorman confirmed allegations against the players for approaching a match official post-game and using foul language towards the officials were correct. "There is no doubt that some of the allegations are correct in terms of the match official being inappropriately approached after the match," Gorman said. "The foul language occurred towards the match official there is no doubt about that. There seems to be a little bit of a grey area in the second assertion and that's the facts we are trying to determine." Gorman would later back down from these comments on a radio interview. The "grey area" Gorman speaks of is allegations of threatening behaviour. It is alleged that one of the Fifita brothers had to be restrained to stop him from getting to the referee. "If these behaviours are proven to be true to the level they have asserted then this club will take the appropriate sanctions," Gorman said. "We are not going to run or hide from that. I don't want to jump to a conclusion until I have all the facts. If those facts end up being the facts, they are of a very disturbing nature.

"We will be looking at reviewing the appropriate actions for us to take and reviewing with the NRL integrity unit what appropriate actions a whole of game approach should involve. "There are some areas of grey in the assertions but there is no doubt that our players at one level or another have acted very inappropriately in letting themselves down, their teammates down, letting our club down and more importantly letting the whole of rugby league down."

