South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has gone on record once again to defend hooker Brandon Smith over what he labelled "trivial" police charges.
Smith is facing two charges, with Queensland Police alleging offences around drug supply and insider betting.
He will plead not guilty when he faces court on September 18 in Queensland.
The charges and story also dragged Sydney Roosters star forward Victor Radley into the situation. There are no claims of any wrongdoing against the Rooster.
Smith was not stood down by either the NRL or the Rabbitohs over the alleged offences, with the Rabbitohs to clash with the Roosters in their final game of the season on Friday night.
Bennett, asked on Thursday why the club are allowing Smith to play, took a firm stance on the matter and suggested Smith's high-profile status was being used by police to get a message out.
He also linked it back to former player Russell Packer, who had an off-field situation over a decade ago, which landed him in prison.
"In my opinion, it's pretty trivial what is going on with it," Bennett said at a press conference.
"He's a high-profile person, and they're using that profile to get a message out to a lot of people about whatever.
"It happened with Packer when they sent him to jail for 12 months. I don't think anyone ever thought that would happen.
"They had an issue in Sydney at the time with king hits and so on ... it is what it is."
Smith's situation has created a storm ahead of the game between the Rabbitohs and Roosters, given he switched between the two clubs in the middle of the season.
The dummy half, who returned from an ACL injury after he moved to South Sydney, has already signed on with the Maroubra-based outfit for the next two seasons.
The Roosters need to beat the Rabbitohs to confirm their spot in the top eight on Friday evening, while the Rabbitohs are out of contention for the finals.
