Indigenous Australian rugby league player is fined and suspended for criticising the Queen

Critics say penalty for calling the Queen a ‘dumb dog’ is ‘inconsistent’ and the fine ‘far too severe’

Australian indigenous woman’s rugby league player Caitlin Moran has been fined and handed a one-match ban over her social media post criticising Queen Elizabeth II, prompting anger in the association’s body.

Ms Moran, 25, who plays for Newcastle in Australia’s National Rugby League Women (NRLW) racked up headlines last Friday after she referred to the deceased queen as a “dumb dog” in a now-deleted post.

The Instagram post was deleted after almost eight hours, but screenshots were circulated widely on social media and came under the scanner of the National Rugby League’s (NRL) Integrity Unit.