The Panthers have suffered yet another injury blow to their already-depleted stocks, with Liam Martin rolling his ankle in Thursday night’s clash with the Storm.
Martin suffered the injury in the second half and hobbled from the field in clear pain, supported by two trainers.
The 25-year-old Blues star later hobbled to the bench using crutches, and was seen with ice wrapped around his ankle.
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INJURED IN ROUND 22
Liam Martin (ankle) – TBC
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Liam Martin copped a painful ankle injury in another blow to the Panthers.Source: FOX SPORTS
The race for the NRL finals is heating up and this weekend will see several tantalizing match-ups that are certain to shape the make-up of the top eight.
The Panthers face the Storm tonight, before Parramatta take on South Sydney on Friday night and the Roosters play the Cowboys on Saturday afternoon.
“I think the top four battle is heating up for sure,” Fox League’s Lara Pitt told news.com.au ahead of round 22.
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“I think the Storm have probably got a tough one to win against the Panthers even though Penrith don’t have (Nathan) Cleary and (Jarome) Luai — they’re always extremely tough to beat at home.
“The Eels-Rabbitohs game is one of the hardest of the round, equally Roosters-Cowboys. Those two games are massive. I found those the hardest to pick but I’ve gone with the Roosters and Parramatta.
“The Parramatta Eels, that’s a huge game against the Rabbitohs, if they win that they’re into the top four.
The Panthers sit three games clear on top of the ladder and are red-hot favorites to win back-to-back premierships, but Pitt believes Cronulla are a “dark horse” heading into finals.
“I’ve been at the last couple of Sharks games on the sideline and been really impressed with how gritty and the style of football they’re playing,” she said.
“They can get into an arm wrestle. They still haven’t hit peak form, there’s still improvement to come for them.
“They’re winning ugly, they’re winning tough, then when they play well they can score points. I’d say the Sharks are possibly the dark horse.
“I think the eight is pretty much settled when I look at the standings at the teams that have kind of fallen over at the wrong end of the season — Manly, Raiders and Dragons unfortunately have left it a bit too late.
“I think the eight is probably the way it is now but everyone will be jostling for where they actually finish in the eight. I back the Roosters and the Broncos to secure their place in finals, it’s just about how high they can finish.”
Gruesome injuries ‘hardest part’ of the job
In her role as Fox League’s sideline reporter, Pitt has witnessed several nasty injuries this season including Stephen Crichton’s mauled ear, Ryan Papenhuyzen suffering a fractured knee cap and Aaron Booth rupturing his ACL last weekend.
Pitt said having to interview players after they’ve suffered season-ending injuries is the “hardest part” of her job.
“The Stephen Crichton one stands out the most,” she said.
“I think even he probably was in shock himself and didn’t realize his ear was hanging off walking around the stadium saying g’day to the fans at the end of the game, then had to head off to hospital and have a plastic surgeon sew his ear together.
“There’s been that one and obviously seeing Aaron Booth go down for the Titans last week, he has sustained the most serious knee injury you can get.
“I spoke to him after the game. He knows he’s got a long road to recovery but I was pretty surprised at how strong he was and how he looked like he was going to take it head on, which is pretty incredible when he’s just sustained a horrific knee injury.
“It’s probably not the best part of the job at all and speaking to players just after they’ve ruined their year or they’ve got that long comeback trail ahead of them, that’s probably the hardest part.
“I don’t like watching the replays of horrendous injuries, that’s for sure. I’ll certainly look away. I’m not too frightened by the blood and the gore of it, but I’m not watching the replays of knees going the wrong way, that’s for sure.”
Dragons need star power around Hunt
St George Illawarra take on the Raiders in a Fox League exclusive game on Sunday and while both sides appear out of the finals race, they will be desperate for a win.
Pitt believes the Dragons need to recruit some star players in the spine to support Ben Hunt, if they are any chance to make finals in 2023.
“The club has made some moves to change the support staff around Anthony Griffin. Clearly they can see it’s not working,” she said.
“The concern is now that they’re not bringing on board any high caliber players into the roster to help Ben Hunt and he desperately needs the help. It’s hard to see how they’ll be any better next year with just some assistant coaching movements.
“If that’s the case, then the pressure will be firmly on the club and the coach early next year if they don’t make any movement in performance on the field.
“Overall, just hugely disappointing that they haven’t improved this year and they’ve failed to make finals.”
Watch the St George Illawarra Dragons vs Canberra Raiders at 1pm on Sunday only on Fox League.
Just a fortnight after they were gifted a win from a controversial Bunker call, the Cowboys were on the other end with a try being disallowed in their 28-14 win over the Bulldogs.
Although the Cowboys walked away with the win, there’s question marks over a Murray Taulagi try that was disallowed half way through the second half.
Taulagi crossed untouched in the corner to give his side a two-point lead with 20 minutes to go only for the referee to send it up to the Bunker.
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Ricky apologizes for salmon spray | 01:04
“I’m looking for a bat-on, whether it goes forward,” referee Adam Gee said.
The play in question was Tom Dearden’s cutout pass to Taulagi that clipped Valentine Holmes’ shoulder before landing in Taulagi’s hands.
“It’s not a knock-on when it comes off his shoulder,” Fox League commentator Brenton Speed said.
“It goes back anyway,” Steve Roach added.
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Speed was confident that “this try will stand”, however, Bunker official Matt Noyen ruled it a no-try saying “the ball touches the upper-arm, shoulder of Valentine Holmes… we’re supporting the on-field decision of the ball traveling forward.”
‘He pretty much saved my life’ | 01:07
Both Speed and Roach were stunned by the call.
“It seems to me that we always find a way of why it’s not a try now,” Roach said.
“He was standing behind him, so how does it go forward?”
Sideline commentator Billy Moore agreed with Roach saying, “for me that was a try.”
The call didn’t mean too much in the context of the game though, with the Cowboys going on to score three more tries to seal the win.
It comes just two weeks after the Cowboys were on the other end of a contentious Bunker decision when they escaped with a controversial 27-26 win over the Tigers.
The Cowboys were awarded an escort penalty and Valentine Holmes slotted a goal on the siren to steal the win. Even coach Todd Payten conceded afterwards that the call was “debatable.”
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The Knights have put their horror week behind them to escape with a 14-10 win over the Tigers, despite a second half fightback from the home side at Campbelltown Stadium.
A galvanized Knights outfit ran amok in the first half, shooting out a three-try lead thanks to a double to Enari Tuala and another to Tex Hoy.
But the Tigers came out of the half time break fired up and tried to Brent Naden and Asu Kepaoa set up a grandstand finish.
But the Knights were able to hang on and end their four-game losing streak… and finally move on from a dramatic week following the David Klemmer saga.
“It seems to have galvanized them, they’ve come with great energy,” Fox League analyst Michael Ennis said of the Knights’ attitude.
MATCH CENTER: Tigers vs Knights live score, video, stats
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61ST MINUTE
The momentum had well and truly swung in the Tigers’ favor after Asu Kepaoa scored to bring his side within four points of the Knights after being completely carved up in the first half.
52ND MINUTE
The Tigers finally got on the board through Brent Naden but it wouldn’t have been possible without Adam Doueihi’s boot. Doueihi put a giant bomb up that Dominic Young let bounce and Naden was there to snatch it and score. Doueihi converted to shorten the scoreline to 14-6.
30TH MINUTE
Star hooker Jayden Brailey took off before the Tigers’ markers were set and sent Tex Hoy over. Hoy converted to extend the Knights’ lead to 14-nil.
The easy try sparked Fox League’s Michael Ennis to take aim at the Tigers’ “turnstile” defense.
17TH MINUTE
Enari Tuala got his second of the day to extend his side’s lead with Jake Clifford and Bradman Best having a hand in the lead-up.
“Finally playing like Adam O’Brien has been telling us they’ve been training,” Fox League commentator Warren Smith said.
5TH MINUTE
Jake Clifford set up Enari Tuala for the first try of the afternoon with a long grubber kick for the winger to dive on.
“Terrific kick, set up perfectly,” Fox League commentator Warren Smith said.
MATCH PREVIEW
The Wests Tigers will chase back-to-back wins for just the second time this season when they take on the Knights at Campbelltown Stadium in the final game of Round 21.
The Knights got the bragging rights last time these two teams faced off but a lot has changed since then.
Both are languishing near the bottom of the table, but the Tigers are coming off an inspiring win over the Broncos last week, while the Knights have lost four consecutive games — and are coming off a dramatic few days for the club.
The Knights will be without David Klemmer after the star prop was stood down from selection due to disciplinary reasons in a storyline that has since blown up in the club’s face.
Jacob Saifiti takes Klemmer’s place in the starting pack, while star center Bradman Best makes a welcome return from a thumb injury.
For the Tigers, Jackson Hastings is out for the season, opening the door for young gun Fonua Pole to start at lock.
Filling Pole’s spot on the bench is 27-year-old debutant Tom Freebairn — captain of the Western Suburbs Magpies’ NSW Cup side.
A win for the Tigers will see them leapfrog the Knights on the ladder and move further away from the wooden spoon. But if the Knights get a much-needed win, they will jump to 13th, ahead of the Warriors.
TEAMS
Tigers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. Brent Naden 3. Starford To’a 4. Asu Kepaoa 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Jock Madden 8. James Tamou 9. Fa’amanu Brown 10. Joe Ofahengaue 11. Alex Seyfarth 12 Kelma Tuilagi 13. Fonua Pole 14. Zane Musgrove 15. Austin Dias 16. Thomas Freebairn 17. Tyrone Peachey. Replacement player: 18. Junior Tupou
knights: 1. Tex Hoy 2. Enari Tuala 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Dominic Young 6. Anthony Milford 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Brodie Jones 13 Mitchell Barnett 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Mathew Croker. Replacement player: 18. Jack Johns
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Sharks star Nicho Hynes has vowed to dedicate the rest of his season to his “best mate” Aaron Booth after suffering a gross knee injury against the Storm.
The 26-year-old’s knee buckled in thick scenes, collapsing underneath his weight in right angles while attempting to tackle Storm playmaker Cooper Johns.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook was clearly emotional when speaking about Booth’s injury which will end his 2022 campaign.
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“I feel for Boothy,” Holbrook said.
“He’s fought really hard to get his shot this year and it’s going to be really nasty for him unfortunately.
“It’s really bad for him.”
Speaking after his side’s big win over the Dragons, Hynes said Booth “pretty much saved my life.”
“I want to try and dedicate the rest of this year to him, he is my best mate and he pretty much saved my life,” Hynes said.
The pair’s bond began when they were teammates at the Mackay Cutters.
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Ricky apologizes for salmon spray | 01:04
Then when both Booth and Hynes were contracted at the Storm they lived together — becoming close mates.
“He’s had a terrible run with injuries and it just breaks my heart to see,” Hynes said.
“He’s worked so hard to get back to where he is each time to play NRL and he unfortunately just has no luck with injuries.
“I love him to death and I can’t wait to see him.”
As it stands, the extent of Booth’s injury is currently unknown — with further scans set to reveal how long the playmaker will stay off the field.
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A gross injury to hooker Aaron Booth has compounded the bottom-of-the-ladder Gold Coast Titans woes after a 32-14 loss to Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park on Friday night.
In what provided sickening replay vision, Booth’s knee collapsed underneath him at right angles as he attempted to make a tackle on Storm five-eighth Cooper Johns.
Not only was it game over for Booth, but it will undoubtedly be season over when scans reveal the extent of the injury.
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It was supposed to be his big night playing in a starting role against his former club, but it ended on a sour note for Booth.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook was emotional in the post-game press conference when talking about the Booth injury.
“I feel for Boothy,” Holbrook said.
“He’s fought really hard to get his shot this year and it’s going to be really nasty for him unfortunately.
“It’s really bad for him.”
Booth suffered a knee dislocation in the landing. It is likely that he has also turned an ACL, but scans will provide further evidence.
“He’s done everything you could do to it,” Holbrook said.
“He’s dislocated it and he’s done lots of other stuff.”
Sam McIntyre came off the bench and provided some punch from dummy half in place of Booth.
Despite the result, it was an encouraging performance from the three-win Titans. Greg Marzhew, promoted on the back of his strong form for the Burleigh Bears, fitted in seamlessly in his return to the Titans line up.
Marzhew ran for 184 meters, bettered only on his side by captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui with 185.
AJ Brimson and Tanah Boyd were solid in the halves, David Fifita muscled up defensively and Beau Fermor, Herman Ese’ese and Brian Kelly scored tries.
After giving up a 16-point head start, the Titans displayed a never-say-die attitude, but every time they got within touching distance of the Storm, they would have a mishap derail their progress.
“A lot to like but just not good enough,” Holbrook said.
“We’re seeing similar things where just one person has fallen off there or they’re doing that wrong and it’s costing us.
“It’s leading to tries which is the disappointing thing.
“I feel like they’re improving a lot and I feel like we were a lot closer than the suggested score, but the result is what the result is and that’s what we’ve got to stop some soft tries.”
Aaron Booth of the Titans leaves the field. Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Cameron Munster has produced a breathtaking display as Melbourne Storm marked a history-making night with a 32-14 win over gutsy cellar-dweller Gold Coast Titans at AAMI Park on Friday night.
But the returning Brandon Smith will be facing a nervous wait after he was put on report for a hip drop tackle late in the first half.
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With the Storm leading 16-4, Smith, who had been out for the last three matches after he was banned for referee Adam Gee a “cheating bastard”, landed himself in hot water when making a legs tackle on the Titans’ Tino Fa’ asuamaleaui.
But in a week where the hip drop has been a hot topic after the Broncos’ Patrick Carrigan was banned for four weeks after his tackle saw the Tigers’ Jackson Hastings break his leg.
Unlike a usual hip drop where two players hold a player before the third man attacks the legs, Smith was in motion, slipping off the tackle and onto Fa’asuamaleaui leg.
But referee Peter Gough said: ““I understand it’s wet and he’s sliding, but what it is, is he throws his legs out which drops the weight on the backfoot.”
Premiership winning coach turned Fox Sports commentator Shane Flanagan wasn’t thrilled with the tackle.
“You can’t do it. You know you can’t put your weight on the back of the legs when a player is going away from you, and he gets himself in a bad position,” Flanagan said.
Post match, Storm coach Craig Bellamy called for the judiciary to look at the incident on its own merits.
“I just hope it gets judged on the tackle, not some of the hysteria that has gone on this week,” Bellamy said.
“That is all we ask.
“If you go on one last week, but how many have there been? If there is one in however many games since the last one.
“Pat Carrigan doesn’t go out on the field to break Hastings’ legs, they are an accident.
“I don’t see it as a real big issue in the game, but I understand that it can injure people, but there hasn’t been a whole heap this year I don’t think.
“I just hope it gets judged on that and not on it being in the news a lot this week.”
It was otherwise a good night for the Storm as they celebrated Bromwich brothers, captain Jesse (290 games) and fellow forward Kenny (211), became the first pair of brothers in NRL history to combine for 500 games (501) with the one club .
Kenny produced a first half try to make it the perfect start to the night.
But it was a hat-trick hero Munster who kickstarted the Storm surges with two first-half tries before adding a third in the second half on a night of brilliance.
Returning to the full back position where he started his career, Munster was safe at the back, dazzled with the extra room to move to rack up 252 run meters and offered tremendous leadership with his voice.
Winger David Nofoaluma, loaned from the Wests Tigers, showed off his speed and elusiveness in an impressive first start with the Storm, while center Young Tonumaipea scored a try in his first game for the Storm since 2018.
Hooker Harry Grant and five-eighth Cooper Johns were also influential for the Storm.
The Storm made a barnstorming start with three tries in the opening 22 minutes.
Xavier Coates, returning from a long-term injury, scored one of the easier tries of his career after Grant flicked out a quick pass to find him unattended in the corner.
Munster rose into the night sky to catch, spin and make his way across the line, before Kenny Bromwich got his try burrowing under Titans defenders Phillip Sami and David Fifita.
It would be a horror night for the Titans after hooker Aaron Booth succumbed to a knee injury.
The 26-year-old had to be helped off the ground by the trainers against his former club after his leg collapsed while attempting to tackle Johns.
Rugby league legend Gorden Tallis believes sending Patrick Carrigan straight to the judiciary is a harsh call and has questioned why Aaron Booth got off scot-free for a tackle that was just as dangerous, if not more.
Carrigan will front the judiciary on Tuesday night with a big ban looming for the Broncos star following a hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings.
Hastings was taken from the field with an ankle injury immediately after the incident and it’s since been confirmed he’ll require surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
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Meanwhile, Titans hooker Booth was not penalized or cited by the match review committee for a cannonball-style tackle on Joe Tapine. The Raiders star made his known feelings about the tackle with the two engaging in a scuffle afterwards which saw Tapine sin-binned for an alleged punch.
Tallis told Triple M that he didn’t think Carrigan’s tackle “was as bad as some that I’ve seen this year” and brought up the Booth incident.
“So Aaron Booth, I have spears into the back (of Joe Tapine). Which one is worse in your eyes?,” he asked the panel.
“I can’t believe he didn’t get reported,” Ben Dobbin said.
“It wasn’t even a penalty,” James Hooper added.
Tapine binned for punching Titan | 00:23
Tallis acknowledged if he were in Hastings’ position he’d be “disappointed” but would still think the tackle was an accident.
He also put it to James Graham which tackle he’d “have more offense over” to which Graham said: “Probably the one from the Titans game, it seemed to have more intent in the tackle.”
But he added: “People say intent should be brought into it but it’s just so difficult to identify.
“You could say ‘it’s an accident, I was just trying to wrap the legs up,’ you could make an argument for the tackle on Joseph Tapine — the guy’s just going in to wrap his legs up and he goes too low.”
Given Bulldogs forward Corey Waddell received a five-game ban for an eye-gouge after being referred straight to the judiciary, it’s likely Carrigan will receive similar punishment.
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However Tallis told Triple M that Carrigan should only get an absolute maximum of two weeks.
“I thought, calling it live, he would be unlucky to get a week or two,” he said.
But Fox League’s James Hooper believes the 24-year-old is facing a much longer stint on the sidelines and suggested the extent of Hastings’ injury will come into play.
“In all likelihood the fact he’s been referred… I think Pat Carrigan is rubbed out for the rest of the season and he’s back for September,” he said.
Tallis, however, believes an injury shouldn’t have any bearing on punishment—and an eye-gouge is worse than Carrigan’s tackle anyway.
“You can’t take that (Hastings’ injury) into consideration,” Tallis argued.
“If you tell me that tackle is as bad as an eye gouge… if someone has their fingers around your eyes I’d bite their fingers off.”
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James Graham agreed that Hastings’ injury shouldn’t be a factor.
“It shouldn’t, it really shouldn’t,” he said.
“The reason why they shouldn’t is because sometimes teams will lie about the extent of the injury and I’ve been on the end of that.
“In that Good Friday game where I went to charge down the drop goal from Adam Reynolds, Souths came out and said he’s going to be out for five-to-six weeks. He was out for two.
“If you’re going to go into what’s the severity of the injury, how do you know that is true?”
The NRL Match Review Committee has come under fire for some glaring inconsistencies regarding foul play in a confounding weekend of rugby league in Round 20.
Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona escaped sanction for an elbow to the face of Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, while teammate Josh King went unpunished for a potential eye-gouge.
Meanwhile, Titans hooker Aaron Booth escaped sanction for a cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves got away with a fine for a similar action to Asofa-Solomona’s, on Manly rookie Zac Fulton.
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And Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan was neither sin-binned or sent off for a hip drop tackle that saw him referred directly to the Judiciary and has him facing a lengthy ban.
Foxsports.com.au breaks down the five incidents to point out the stunning inconsistency from the MRC.
NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
Asofa-Solomona was placed on report for an elbow/forearm on Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, but was not charged by the match review committee.
The incident in the fourth minute of the Storm’s win over the Warriors saw the Asofa-Solomona come down hard on top of Egan’s jaw with his forearm and elbow.
The Warriors rake had to leave the field and there were fears such an action had the potential to result in a broken jaw.
Andrew Johns smoked at the MRC for failing to take action against Asofa-Solomona for an incident that he believed could have resulted in an on-field send-off.
“It’s laughable,” Johns said.
“I back the players all the time, but for me that’s a four-week suspension.
“Nothing for that, or even fine? That’s close to a send-off. I can’t believe it.”
Ryan Girdler accused the MRC of not taking the rules seriously in a stinging rebuke of the Asofa-Solomona decision.
“It was very avoidable as opposed to running the football rather than when you are the defender,” Girdler said on Triple M.
“We spoke about Dale Finucane and the onus needs to be on the defender and there needs to be a duty of care to the player with the ball, especially now we see so many people in tackles and technique and holding and so forth.
“That needs to be taken seriously by the players.
“But if you want to take it seriously then the match review committee need to take it seriously as well.
“Letting Nelson get off with that sends a sign out there to the players, that sort of behavior is OK and it’s not.”
It begs the question, would the Storm star, who has formed, have been suspended or even sent off had he broken Egan’s jaw?
Any player that now finds himself in a similar tackle will be bringing up this Asofa-Solomona incident as their main defense in the future and a dangerous precedent has now been set.
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‘COULD NOT UNDERSTAND’: Manly’s crisis meeting as angry text messages revealed
Nelson Asofa-Soloma escaped sanction for an elbow on Wayde Egan.Source: Supplied
JOSH KING
Storm lock Josh King escaped sanction for a potential eye-gouge on Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga, despite being placed on report and penalized.
In fairness to King the action may have been accidental, but it came just a week after Bulldogs enforcer Corey Waddell copped a five week suspension for coming into contact with the eyes of Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
In Waddell’s case there was no genuine proof of a gouging action, but he copped a monster ban for coming into contact with the eyes of an opponent.
Gorden Tallis and Greg Alexander believed that King would be in trouble, given the harsh reaction to the Waddell incident, even if it was incidental contact.
“I think it is minimal contact, but you can’t make contact with the eyes,” Tallis said.
“I don’t like it. Don’t go near the eyes.”
“Corey Waddell got five weeks for not even gouging someone,” Alexander added.
“In slow motion it doesn’t look good. His hand went over the top of the face and got somewhere in the eye vicinity so he could be in trouble.
King could have been given the opportunity to protest his innocence at the judiciary and may well have proven it, but the decision not to charge him a week after giving Waddell five weeks on the sidelines smacks of inconsistency.
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King eye gouge raises questions! | 00:41
AARON BOOTH
Titans hooker Aaron Booth went unpunished by the MRC for a potential cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine.
The incident in the 32nd minute of the Titans 36-24 loss to the Raiders saw two Gold Coast players tackling Tapine before Booth came in late down around his legs from behind in a cannonball style tackle.
Tapine took issue with the tackle and the pair got into a scuffle, which resulted in the Raiders star being sent to the sin bin.
On his way to the sin bin Tapine questioned the tackle to the referee but Ben Cummins said the tackle was cleared.
The cannonball tackle is up there with the hip drop as one of the most dangerous tackles on a rugby league field for its ability to cause serious injury.
“Joe Tapine must have felt what he thought was a cannonball as Aaron Booth comes in right at the knees,” Matt Russell said.
Aaron Booth tackles Joe Tapine.Source: FOX SPORTS
“You have got to be above the knees. Quads or higher.”
While Booth may have initially hit Tapine on the hamstrings, the speed and force at which he came into the tackle from behind as the third man in, had the potential to cause Tapine a serious injury, which is why he was so angry.
Gorden Tallis told Triple M that he didn’t think Patrick Carrigan’s tackle “was as bad as some that I’ve seen this year” and brought up the Booth incident.
“So Aaron Booth, I have spears into the back (of Joe Tapine). Which one is worse in your eyes?,” he asked.
“I can’t believe he didn’t get reported,” Ben Dobbin said.
“It wasn’t even a penalty,” James Hooper added.
“Probably the one from the Titans game, it seemed to have more intent in the tackle,” James Graham added.
If the MRC are serious about stamping it out of the game, Booth should have at least been charged and given the opportunity to defend himself at the judiciary.
Failing to charge these incidents gives the players no deterrent to stop employing the cannonball tackle if they think they can get away with it on a technicality.
Tapine binned for punching Titan | 00:23
PATRICK CARRIGAN
Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan is facing a lengthy suspension for his hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings after being referred directly to the judiciary.
Carrigan deserves to be suspended for the ugly tackle that broke Hastings’ leg and ruled him out for the season.
However, if the incident was deemed serious enough to refer Carrigan straight to the judiciary, why was he not sin-binned or sent off?
Nathan Cleary coped with a five week suspension after being sent off for an ugly lifting tackle on Dylan Brown.
If Carrigan is looking at a similar ban, the Tigers should have got the on-field advantage of having the Broncos reduced to 12 men for 10 minutes at least.
James Hooper believes Carrigan will miss the remainder of the regular season with a five week ban.
Patrick Carrigan’s hip-drop tackle.Source: Supplied
“In all likelihood the fact he’s been referred… I think Pat Carrigan is rubbed out for the rest of the season and he’s back for September,” Hooper said.
If Carrigan cops a five game ban, it is confounding how he wasn’t sent off for the tackle or at the very least sin-binned.
On the other hand Gorden Tallis questioned why Carrigan is potentially meeting the same fate as Waddell who is out for five weeks due to an eye-gouge.
“If you tell me that tackle is as bad as an eye gouge… if someone has their fingers around your eyes I’d bite their fingers off,” Tallis said.
It raised the question of Hastings’ injury playing a part in the punishment, which comes back to Asofa-Solomona potentially facing a ban had he broken Egan’s jaw.
Carrigan’s hip drop injuries Hastings | 01:01
JARED WAEREA-HAGREAVES
The Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine for an early guilty plea after being charged by the match review committee for a similar incident to Asofa-Solomona’s.
The Roosters star was penalized and placed on report for an elbow to the face of Manly rookie Zac Fulton while he was on the ground.
Waerea-Hargreaves’ punishment brings up two questions. Why was he not banned because a small fine is not a deterrent for these actions?
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine.Source: Getty Images
And given Asofa-Solomona’s incident is widely considered to be much worse than the Roosters star’s actions, why wasn’t the Storm forward charged by the MRC?
Referee Grant Atkins labeled Waerea-Hargreaves actions unacceptable.
“Jared can’t do what he did, that is unacceptable, that is why it is against you,” Atkins said.
But how can an unacceptable action on a rugby league field receive only a small $3000 fine.
Coupled with the Asofa-Soloma incident, a small fine for Waerea-Hargreaves and no punishment at all for the Storm forward offers no deterrent whatsoever for players who employ these grubby tactics.
Rugby league legend Andrew Johns has called for the NRL to eradicate dangerous tackles, such as cannonball and hip drop tackles, after two separate incidents sparked heated debate over the weekend.
Canberra Raiders prop Joe Tapine was sin-binned for an alleged punch during Saturday afternoon’s 36-24 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium.
The 28-year-old was seemingly retaliating after a “cannonball” tackle from Titans hooker Aaron Booth, who had come in around the legs.
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“Joe Tapine must have felt like what he thought was a cannonball (tackle) as Aaron Booth comes in right at the knees,” Fox League commentator Matt Russell said at the time.
“You’ve got to be above the knees — quads or higher.”
Johns also sympathized with Tapine, pleading for the NRL to stamp out crusher tackles and similar offenses.
“When there’s a two-man tackle and there’s no momentum, we have to eradicate the third person coming in,” he told Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show.
“I can’t blame him for reacting like this.
“If there’s two men in the tackle and they can’t get the player down, then one has to change his technique and go down.
“That third man should not be allowed to come in. It’s dangerous.
“They’re worried about the third man destroying their knees and ankles.”
Later on Saturday, Wests Tigers lock Jackson Hastings was left limping from the field after Brisbane Broncos rival Pat Carrigan performed a hip drop tackle at Suncorp Stadium.
Carrigan, who put his body weight on Hastings’ back ankle, was referred directly to the NRL judiciary after the ugly incident, which left him with a broken fibula.
“I thought the tackle was a pretty ordinary tackle,” Tigers interim coach Brett Kimmorley told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“It is something that has crept into the game a little bit and it needs to be looked after, because it’s a horrendous tackle and the outcome can be really bad.”
However, former Broncos captain Gorden Tallis believed the incident was an accident.
“I didn’t think that tackle was as bad as some I have seen this year,” he told Triple M.
“Are they referring it to the judiciary because they don’t know what to do any more? If Patrick Carrigan does that to me and I am out for the year I am going to be disappointed but I think it’s an accident.
“I didn’t think that tackle was as bad as some I have seen this year. Are they referring it to the judiciary because they don’t know what to do any more? If Patrick Carrigan does that to me and I am out for the year I am going to be disappointed but I think it’s an accident.
“I don’t think it is a fashionable hip drops where you jam your hips and I thought watching it he would have been unlucky to get a week or two.”
Speaking after the 32-18 defeat, Carrigan reiterated that he did not intend to harm Hastings.
“I hope he is alright,” he said.
“It wasn’t intentional. I felt like I hit him a bit higher. I don’t know if I winded him, but I heard him wince and then he fell backwards.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to see anyone get injured, so I hope he’s alright. It is what it is.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters said: “I don’t know if he snapped his ankle, but it was a heat of the battle thing. Knowing Pat Carrigan and a person of his character, I wouldn’t think it was intentional.”
