A 20-year ban handed to rugby league player Matt Nean for allegedly manhandling a referee has been overturned, allowing him to return to the sport after a decade away. Nean was sent off during the 2016 Group 4 grand final while playing for West Tamworth.

Footage of the incident showed Nean, then 36, appearing to brush past the official. The initial suspension for the contact was 18 weeks, but an appeal resulted in the ban being extended to two decades.

Nean described the lengthy ban as shocking at the time. "I don't know why they had it in for me," he said, recalling the incident. "On a footy field I love a bit of banter, I am a bit cheeky on the field, people give it back to me and I know it's just the love of the game."

He also stated that the tribunal refused to review video evidence during his original hearing and appeal. "One of my teammates brought his laptop for the evidence and they said 'no you can't use that it's not yours,'" Nean recounted.

The ban significantly impacted his career, coinciding with what was considered the prime of his playing days. He has now been cleared to play again for the Dungowan Cowboys after the NSW Rugby League reversed the decision.

"I can't believe it - I'm free to play again after so long," Nean stated. "It's been a long time in the making – I can't wait to get back onto the field."

A source close to Nean commented on the relief the overturned ban brings. "He wasn't even allowed to attend junior games or watch his son play, or go to watch the Aboriginal knockout. It is a great relief," the source said. "Video of the incident shows he just brushed the referee accidentally – but he wasn't allowed to use the video in his hearing or his appeal."

"It was a gross miscarriage of justice and we are just grateful it has been rectified – albeit much too late," the source added.

During the period of his ban, Nean had previously spoken about suffering from depression, stating, "Football means everything to me."

Nean expressed that he holds no anger about the past and is looking forward to his return to the field.