Williams NRL ban a record

irish international forward Danny Williams has been suspended for 18 matches - the most in NRL history.

The NRL judiciary imposed the ban, two weeks after the Melbourne Storm veteran pleaded guilty to an ungraded striking charge.

The ban will carry over to the Tetley’s Super League, should Williams try to play in England when his contract with Melbourne ends in September.

The case was adjourned from two weeks ago and the judiciary panel heard more than three-and-a-half hours of medical evidence in Sydney on Wednesday.

Williams, who earned four caps for Ireland in the 2000 World Cup, had pleaded guilty to striking Wests Tigers opponent Mark O’Neill but argued he had diminished responsibility.

He said he was suffering post-traumatic amnesia from an earlier high tackle inflicted by O’Neill.