Bulldogs teammates have emphatically denied suggestions skipper Stephen Crichton is a “grub” after the star centre copped a delayed charge for an incident involving Melbourne’s Ryan Papenhuyzen that was initially missed by the match review committee.

Crichton initially escaped sanction but was hit with a grade 1 contrary conduct charge on Monday afternoon, with the Canterbury captain to pay a $1000 fine if he takes the early guilty plea.

The delayed charge has nothing to do with the ARL Commission’s new powers to send players straight to the judiciary, with the NRL confirming it was related to a change to the judicial code in 2022.

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Crichton was heavily criticised in a column on Monday that suggested he got away with several incidents this season that warranted harsher penalties, with others on social media calling out his aggressive style of play.

But Bulldogs players deny those allegations and explained how Crichton’s upbringing had turned him into one of the game’s great leaders.

“He’s not that type of person. His dad’s a pastor and he’s a man of God, so he’s far from that type of person,” teammate Kurt Mann said.

“Regardless of what you do, you can’t keep everyone happy.

“There’s always going to be someone who’s got something to say, but my personal opinion of ‘Critta’ is that he’s definitely a competitive guy and he’s going to compete on the field.

“But as a person, he’s the furthest thing from a grub. He’s a morally upstanding person, a great bloke, a great leader and comes from a good family, so he’s the complete opposite to what they’re trying to make him out to be.

“He’s quite aggressive on the field, and that’s the competitive nature that drives him and it’s what makes boys want to follow him as well. That’s why he’s our leader.

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“He’s easy to get around and the boys tend to follow him when he goes out there and competes and does his job. Whatever they’re trying to make him out to be, I can tell you personally that that’s far from the truth.”

Bench forward Sitili Tupouniua has played with firebrands like Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and doesn’t think Crichton is even close to that level of aggression.

“He’s one of the best blokes, so I know he’s not going out there to try to hurt anyone or be a grub. I think he’s just trying to help the team and make an impact on the game,” he said.

“I’ve only seen a bit of what happened, but I feel like some of it has been over exaggerated.

“I don’t think he’s too worried about what other people are saying. We know how he is as a person, and I’m sure he’s confident in the man he is. People can have their opinions, but we know how he is, and he’s a good bloke.”

And while Crichton’s been charged a few times this year, Mann doesn’t want to see his skipper tone down his aggression on the eve of the finals.

“That’s why he’s the leader and that’s why people get put in those positions to inspire the boys around them,” the Maroons representative said.

“I want him to keep doing what he does because that’s how he plays his footy and it’s worked for him so far. Just look at his career so far. That’s how he plays and that’s why it’s got him to where he is.”