Knights superstar Kalyn Ponga looks set to be stripped of the captaincy after a video emerged of him being kicked out of a toilet cubicle with teammate Kurt Mann.
The video came to light on Monday morning, sparking Ponga’s dad, Andre to claim the 24-year-old was “sick in the toilet and his mate went in to help him” while out celebrating “an exciting house purchase.”
Although, Fox League’s James Hooper suggested that wasn’t the real story, telling NRL 360: “You might have to get Pinocchio out again, we aren’t believing that fairytale are we?”
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Newly signed football manager Peter Parr will front the media on Tuesday and News Corp Journalist Phil Rothfield believes it could be the end of Ponga’s reign as captain.
“I think it’s a really, really bad look and I know the Knights are really concerned about the PR side of it and the culture side of it,” he told NRL 360.
“Do you know how serious I think it is, I think he will be stripped of the captaincy over this.”
Ponga was announced as co-captain alongside Jayden Brailey in February, however with the latter missing for a lot of the season Ponga carried the responsibility himself for the first 16 rounds.
Hooper agreed that “it’s a bad scene” and urged the Knights to come down hard on Ponga given prop David Klemmer was stood down for an on-field incident involving a trainer.
“If he’s had concussions, commonsense tells you he should be (on an alcohol ban), certainly Kurt Mann (who is injured) is supposed to be on an alcohol ban,” he said.
Put asked to leave toilet cubicle | 00:16
“They tore strips off David Klemmer for swearing at a trainer on the field, I’d argue that this is far more detrimental in terms of negative headlines for the club and if they’re fair dinkum they’ll read the Riot Act tomorrow morning , Peter Parr will front the media and he will say ‘enough is enough, this is the line in the sand moment, we’re not going to tolerate this sort of jibber anymore.’
“Off the back of that I think both of them are going to have to be issued breach notices and fines. Because if they’re going to breach David Klemmer and fine him for something that was trivial on the field with a trainer, you can’t cop this.”
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However Paul Kent fears stripping the captaincy could have the opposite effect and believes the club should “demand” Put “lifts his standards.”
“I would say to him ‘you’re the only guy at this club that can lead us out of trouble and we’ve paid you the money you deserve, you’re a senior player and an Origin start…’ and I would oblige him to start leading them out of the woods,” he said.
“If you’re going to spend that money on a player you’ve got to get a return out of him. The way to get the best out of Kalyn is not to banish him, not to sack him from the captaincy.
“I’m not excusing it, I would bring him in and give him the Riot Act but I’d say to him ‘you’re the guy mate’ and I would demand that he starts lifting his standards and he takes his teammates with him.
“If he’s got any sense of decency inside of him as a player from a football point of view he will respond to that.”
Lowly Titans embarrass meek Manly | 02:18
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Braith Anasta agreed.
“As much as he’s taken the mickey, this guy holds the key to success… you’ve got to get this blokes in your hip pocket,” he said.
“Kick him in the ass but say ‘this is it mate, this is your last chance.’ They should do some in-house stuff over the next 24 hours, teach him a lesson, scare the you know what out of him and go ‘c’mon mate.’
“If you just sack him as captain you start to lose your key player.”
Sharks prop Toby Rudolf has opened up on why he spoke out and revealed details of his own sexuality amid the pride jersey controversy that engulfed the NRL.
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox League’s Jake Duke, the fan favorite discussed many parts of his career and life, including his support to the LGBTQI+ community earlier this month.
Rudolf welcomed the pride jersey initiative and revealed in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald he had had same-sex experiences despite identifying as heterosexual, stating “sexuality is fluid”.
WATCH THE FULL TOBY RUDOLF ‘ALL IN’ WITH JAKE DUKE ON FOX LEAGUE AND KAYO
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While many players chose to remain silent on the issue, Rudolf felt the need to show his support.
“I think I wanted to just throw my support behind the community that has sort of been there my whole life,” Rudolf said.
“Also I’m not too fussed to speak about anything about me like I’m not scared of anything to let people know about the things that I do.
“I think the main thing though is the LGBTQI+ community were sort of dragged through the mud that week and they were just looking for a bit of, I wanted to give them a bit of a boost.”
Growing up with a single mother and around members of the LGBTQI+ community Rudolf revealed that his uncle Marty played an integral role throughout his upbringing.
“Probably the biggest one was my uncle Marty, mum’s best friend,” Rudolf told Fox League’s Jake Duke.
“He was the gay guy that was in the article a few days earlier.
“He used to take me on camping trips, we used to go caving together at Jenolan Caves, went to Vanuatu once.
“He was always there, was always sort of guiding me along the way.”
Broncos set to make changes after losses | 01:53
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Rudolf joked the big motivation for his sexualty comments was wanting to get on a Mardi Gras float.
“Well the NRL’s got one,” Duke informed Rudolf.
“Do they!” Rudolf replied.
“Yeah the NRL’s got one,” Duke said.
“Absolutely you can be on it, in the Budgy Smugglers?”
“Keen as,” Rudolf answered.
While Rudolf speaks about his experience and love for the LGBTIQ+ community so openly he said it remained a complicated situation.
“There’s always going to be a stigma around it I think, especially us playing such a hard man sport,” Rudolf said.
“There’s still just a bit of I guess stigma around you know being gay and all this and whatever but people just need to get over it I think.
Eels tired of ’embarrassment’ by Souths | 01:22
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“I can understand where people come from with the religious background and whatnot but in the general world today, the modern world it’s just ELE, everybody love everybody.”
“… It (the feedback from the comments) was really positive. No matter what you say you’re always going to have a couple of negative comments but 99% of people just sort of applauded me and my bravery,” Rudolf said.
“I didn’t really think it was that brave I just thought it was me just talking about my stuff, it didn’t phase me too much.
“I went out to Northies that night after the game, after we won that golden point game and everyone there was just being really nice as well, being really supportive, saying they loved what I said and yeah overall was just overwhelmingly positive.
“I was really nicely surprised.”
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The NRL has suspended Raiders coach Ricky Stuart for one match and issued a $25,000 fine for the post-match spray where Panthers player Jaeman Salmon was labeled “a weak-gutted dog.”
The one-week suspension means Stuart is banned from attending Canberra Raiders training for seven days as well as the Raiders must-win round 22 match against St George Illawarra at GIO Stadium on Monday.
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Stuart has publicly acknowledged he over-stepped the mark by getting personal with the Panthers utility player at the after-match NRL press conference.
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Ricky apologizes for salmon spray | 01:04
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The Storm have been accused of having a “chip on their shoulder” after the club blew up over claims they are responsible for an influence of dangerous tackles in the game.
Penrith legend Greg Alexander targeted the Storm after Broncos star Patrick Carrigan was banned for a hip-drop tackle that broke the leg of Tigers playmaker Jackson Hastings.
Melbourne legend Cameron Smith bit back at Panthers deputy chairman Alexander before Storm owner Matt Tripp exploded at the accusations.
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“For the deputy chair of one of our biggest competitors, a week out from having to play them, to make unfounded and stupid comments as he has done, just goes to the arrogance of that club and their perceived status in the game at the moment ,” Tripp told The SMH.
That prompted the NRL 360 panel on Monday night to slam the Storm for being too sensitive, as Phil Rothfield’s called Tripp’s comments a “brutal response”.
“There’s no doubt the Storm have a chip on their shoulder as soon as anyone mentions the word wrestle,” Michael Carayannis said on NRL 360.
“You know what I think about Melbourne, I think they only hear the negative,” Braith Anasta said.
“We sit here every week and we commentate their games and we praise them every week about the powerhouse they’ve been since they’ve come into the competition.
Kenty dives deeper into Sticky situation | 03:02
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“The success they’ve had, their continued success year after year after year under Craig Bellamy and their organization and the head honchos has been unbelievable and unrivalled.
“But if anyone criticizes or criticises Melbourne in any way, shape or form it’s Sydney against Melbourne and we’re attacking Melbourne Storm.”
Melbourne have enjoyed unparalleled success in the NRL over the past two decades under Bellamy.
They’ve played finals in every season they were eligible since 2002 and in the past decade have clinched nine top-four finishes.
But Paul Kent questioned if they would have been as successful without “the wrestle”.
“Are they in decline the Storm, do you think?” Kent questioned.
If Munster leaves are Storm in decline? | 00:53
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Oliver Gildart, who will finish the season at the Roosters, was handed a big challenge — playing in the halves for the first time in his career after a 20-minute crash-course — and remarkably he didn’t look out of place at all .
Meanwhile, a gun fullback could help solve some of the Storm’s injury woes and there’s a 194cm, 95kg beast with footwork to boot that is yet to be picked up by an NRL club.
Read on for the latest Reserve Grade Wrap.
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ALL EYES WERE ON…
Oliver Gildart lined up at five-eighth for the Magpies on Saturday and although they were defeated 36-24 by Mounties, he proved his worth as a versatile backline player, before sealing a loan move to the Roosters this week.
Gildart is primarily a center but has had a taste of fullback in the New South Wales Cup and now the halves.
The 25-year-old proved to be one of the Magpies’ most important players and his willingness to take on the line saw him set up two tries, get a linebreak, a linebreak assist, four tackle busts and 158 running meters.
Gildart told Fox League the last time he played in the halves was when he was 11-years old so he got a quick refresher in Friday’s captain’s run.
”I got a 20-minute session yesterday at captain’s run so I was a bit clunky but you get your hands a lot more on the ball so I enjoyed that side of the game… I’ve got a lot to learn in this position that’s for sure,” he said.
Parramatta’s Nathan Brown continues to put pressure on coach Brad Arthur with another standout performance in reserve grade. The 29-year-old NRL veteran set up a try, got a linebreak assist, two tackle busts and ran for 206 metres. He also made 32 tackles with two misses in the Eels’ one-point loss to the Panthers.
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Carrigan’s hip drop injuries Hastings | 01:01
STANDOUTS
Dane Aukafolau’s performance would have caught the attention of NRL clubs in Mounties’ win over the Magpies.
At 194cm and 95kg, he cuts an imposing figure while playing in the second row but after a history in the centres, Aukafolau has the footwork to catch his opposition off guard.
Aukafolau stunned with a try, a try assist, a linebreak, two linebreak assists and seven tackle busts as well as 17 tackles with two misses.
Mounties are made up of majority part-time players like Aukafolau and he couldn’t be proud of their efforts this season.
“Being one of the senior players I needed to step up so I just try and do what I can,” he told Fox League.
“These boys, day-in, day-out, their efforts are unreal. It’s good to see part-time footballers bringing that contest up to the level of these (full time) guys. It shows a lot.”
Dane Aukafolau was a standout for Mounties. Credit: Knock on Effect NSW Cup Instagram.Source: Instagram
Still on Mountains, Tim Simona wound back the clock to show he still has what it takes to play first grade.
Simona scored a double, got four linebreaks, three tackle busts and 169 running meters in the centres.
Penrith escaped with a one-point win in which the craftiness of hooker Soni Luke was on show. The 26-year-old, who got an NRL debut earlier this season, scored a try, set up two more, got a linebreak, four linebreak assists, six tackle busts and 112 running meters.
A couple of Panthers forwards were equally impressive and dominated on both sides of the ball.
The soon-to-be Eel J’maine Hopgood showed his future club what they can look forward to, with a try, two linebreaks, nine tackle busts, four offloads and 214 running meters, while also making 41 tackles with just two misses.
Meanwhile, the highly-regarded Lindsay Smith finished with 227 running meters, five tackle busts and 38 tackles with two misses.
There wasn’t a lot to smile about for Dragons fans over the weekend, but their reserve grade side bagged an important 30-18 win over the Raiders to keep their final hopes alive.
Michael Molo starred in the win, notching up a try assist, a linebreak assist, three tackle busts and 167 meters while also making 34 tackles with just one miss. Meanwhile, jackson ford finished with 141 running meters and a season-high 10 tackle busts.
Competition leaders, Newtown, seem to be getting better and better each week and with a fairly simple run home they are the favorites to claim the minor premiership.
half-back Braydon Trindall starred in their 42-18 win over the Rabbitohs on Saturday, having a hand in FIVE tries (one try and four assists). He also got four linebreak assists, three tackle busts and ran for 82 metres. Trindall also had a perfect day on the boot, slotting seven goals from seven attempts but on the flip side, he did miss five tackles.
Mawene Hiroti had a day out in the centres, scoring a try, setting up two more and getting two linebreaks, a linebreak assist and five tackle busts to go with his 185 running metres.
There were some good performers for the Bunnies though with five-eighth Jack Campagnolo, who guided Wynnum Manly to the Queensland Cup grand final last year, setting up two tries, as well as getting a linebreak assist and five tackle busts. And workhorse lock james hasson notched up 128 running meters and made 23 tackles with zero misses — he was the only Rabbitoh to not miss a tackle.
Clearly accepts five game ban | 00:45
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
The Storm’s Nick Meaney has been cleared of a serious shoulder injury but has to pass concussion protocols to play in Friday’s Titans clash.
Craig Bellamy has already conceded his backline stocks are running very low, but a fullback at one of the Storm’s Queensland Cup feeder sides has put his hand up over recent weeks to come into consideration.
Brisbane Tigers’ Tony Pellow stunned in their 32-18 win over Ipswich with two try assists, two linebreak assists and 221 running metres.
It was only two weeks ago that 25-year-old Pellow came up with a clutch play in the final four minutes to steal his side a four-point win over Souths Logan. Pellow received the ball from a scrum 10 meters out from his own line, found a gap, palmed off a Magpie, ran 70 meters and then put a cross-field grubber in for Jayden Nikorima to score.
Pellow, a St Johns Dubbo junior, joined the Tigers this season from the Dragons and spent eight weeks training with the Storm during pre-season.
Tony Pellow has been in red-hot form for the Brisbane Tigers. Credit: Margie_13InstagramSource: Instagram
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SPOTTED
Out-of-favor Wests Tigers hooker JJacob Liddle played lock for the Magpies over the weekend. Coach Wayne Lambkin had limited options and had to pick a couple of players out of position to fill gaps. Liddle, who is reportedly set to sign with the Dragons, finished with 93 running meters, two tackle busts and 35 tackles, but had six misses.
rising star Kade Dykes didn’t feature in Newtown’s big win because he was 18th man for NRL. With Will Kennedy out for the next six weeks, it’s assumed Locky Miller will step into the No.1 jersey but don’t be surprised to see Dykes get his NRL debut at fullback. Coach Craig Fitzgibbon will have a headache of the good kind when deciding who fills in for Kennedy.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien has reportedly conceded the club’s 2022 campaign is over — putting a timeline on his own tenure as the man to lead Newcastle forward.
The Knights have struggled this season, recording only five wins from 19 games, with pressure mounting on the men from the Hunter to turn their fortunes around.
O’Brien’s future as the club’s head coach has been firmly thrust into the spotlight, and now the 44-year-old has admitted he may have “six to eight weeks” at the start of the 2023 season to save his job.
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“I spoke to Adam O’Brien this morning, he asked me ‘how are the punters seeing it from outside’,” The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield said on NRL360.
“I said I think everyone is happy that you are safe for the rest of the year, I then said I think you have six to eight weeks at the start of next year.
“I have agreed, 100% I have agreed.”
But NRL360 co-host Paul Kent disagreed, questioning why the club would take a gamble on a coach that has failed to meet expectations in 2022.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have signed Peter Parr as the director of football, handing over control of the Knights’ football operations.
How long will Carrigan get for hip drop? | 03:22
Kent believes that Parr won’t be willing to gamble at the start of next season as beginning each year strong is crucial to slotting into the top eight.
“If that is the case, I would now shorten that, Peter Parr has now come into the club, why would Newcastle take a gamble on the start of next year?” Kent asked.
“If you gamble the first six to eight weeks next year, after that it is all over.”
“What he is saying is this season is over, what he is saying is that the patience and the loyalty that he expects from the board will go for six to eight weeks next year,” Rothfield said.
NRL360 host Braith Anasta likened O’Brien’s situation to that of embattled Titans coach Justin Holbrook — who is also facing the ax after a tumultuous 2022 campaign.
Both made the decision to dump experienced halfbacks in Mitchell Pearce and Jamal Fogarty, and both are paying the price.
“The start of next year is just everything for both coaches,” Anasta said.
“The six weeks to start next year is going to be everything.”
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V’landys moves transfer deadline | 03:02
“The halfback, Mitchell Pearce going, he took them to finals two years in a row and he walked,” Rothfield added.
Meanwhile, O’Brien came under fire for referencing his resume as an assistant after the club’s poor performance against the Bulldogs.
O’Brien worked under Craig Bellamy during a successful period for the Melbourne Storm, explaining he knows how to win premierships.
“Previous to getting this job here I was involved in four grand finals,” O’Brien said.
“I know how those teams prepared. I know the systems they used defensively.
“You don’t unlearn that knowledge. Applying it and getting it ingrained is clearly going to take some time.”
Kent slammed O’Brien’s claims, explaining there is a major difference between watching someone else teach a system and implementing it in your own team.
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Inside Klemmer’s failed move to the Eels | 02:08
“If Adam O’Brien had his chance again he would have shut up and said nothing,” Kent said.
“And what he said there is irrelevant because it doesn’t matter if you have seen it… you have got to start being the head coach and making decisions.
“There is a big difference between being the assistant and the head coach, to know what it looks like doesn’t mean you can teach it.
“Everyone just looks at what everyone is doing, okay we will start coaching that.
“We spoke about it earlier in the year when Trent Barrett was trying to integrate Penrith’s style of attack into Canterbury.
“They are two different playing groups and sometimes you can’t just sit down and teach a fifth grader four-unit maths, you need to take the stepping stones to get there.”
The Parramatta Eels reportedly were blocked in their attempts to sign Knights enforcer David Klemmer for the remainder of the 2022 season on a loan deal.
Reports circled Sea Eagles prop Marty Taupau would make the short move, but that play was rejected by Manly coach Des Hasler.
Brad Arthur then turned his attention elsewhere in a bid to secure a front rower before the August 1 deadline but Knights powerbrokers also denied the request according to The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield.
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“They contacted Clint Zammit, who took it to Adam O’Brien and the senior management at the Knights… they made the decision, and they made it about an hour ago that they would not realize him,” Rothfield said on NRL360.
Rothfield revealed there were a number of sticking points that were unable to be negotiated, including the length of the deal.
The Eels reportedly wanted Klemmer on a short-term loan, but the bustling prop wanted a longer contract to extend his stay at Parramatta past 2022.
“I think there were too many issues involved in the deal, David Klemmer, to join Parramatta for these five games, wanted two years, not just the last year of his contract,” Rothfield said.
“And there were a lot of things like this they couldn’t sort their way through.”
Is O’Brien under pressure at Knights? | 05:59
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“So he would have gone for the remainder of this season and then another couple of seasons on top of that,” Fox League’s James Hooper said.
While the 28-year-old has been one of Newcastle’s best in 2022, Rothfield believes a move for Klemmer was entertained by Newcastle powerbrokers and could have been finalized.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien was said to have met with club bosses on Monday afternoon who reportedly “wouldn’t have fought too hard to keep him”.
“I can’t sit here and say that definitely, but what I am hearing within the club they wouldn’t have fought too hard to keep him,” Rothfield said.
“If the right deal could have been done, why would that have been? He is only 28, he has been around, he has played Origin, he has played Test matches.
V’landys moves transfer deadline | 03:02
“I think there is a feeling around the club that Klemmer hasn’t fitted into game plans like they’d probably hope he had had this year.
“That he might take one or two too many carries each half, when Joey has trained them during the week to switch it or spin it or whatever.
“I just think he can be a hard guy to coach, and that is why I am saying that I don’t think they would have tried overly hard, they wouldn’t have kicked him out the door, but that is why they entertained it today.”
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NRL Match Review Committee manager Luke Patten has outlined why Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona escaped punishment for an ugly elbow on Wayde Egan — explaining there was only “minor contact”.
Asofa-Solomona’s elbow came down hard on the dummy-half’s chin, forcing him to leave the field in the fourth minute.
The hulking front rower was placed on report for the incident, but escaped sanction — which has since been heavily scrutinized by the rugby league community.
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Patten, who played 282 NRL games, explained the MRC first cleared that the incident didn’t include a crusher tackle.
“There was a number of things for the MRC to consider,” Patten said.
“First of all we identified that there was an extra player, Kaufusi, contributing to the force of the tackle as he joins.
“Two big men, on a smaller man, we identified that Nelson creates space, so there is no crusher force or pressure applied to Egan’s neck here.”
Patten went on to explain that there was “clear separation” between Asofa-Solomona’s elbow and Egan’s head, meaning the MRC cleared a head slam.
Big Nelson drops dodgy elbow? | 00:40
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“There was a couple of other things that we needed to clear in this tackle, firstly it was the head slam, we see that there is clear separation from Nelson’s right arm as Wade Egan sort of gets thrown to the ground,” Patten said.
“Nelson has a good grip with his left arm, but there is clear separation, whereas in a head slam you’d see that arm isolate the head and really slam it into the ground.
Then, Patten moved on to the dangerous contact aspect — the exact charge that was handed down to Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves for a similar incident.
The Tricolours prop dropped his elbow onto the head of debutant Zac Fulton, earning a $3,000 fine with an early plea.
Patten said that in this instance there was only “minor contact” with Egan’s neck, and therefore no further action was taken.
King eye gouge raises questions! | 00:41
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“We have cleared that because his arm does separate from Egan, secondly was the dangerous contact aspect that we had to clear here,” Patten said.
“As I mentioned previously, Nelson has a grip with his left arm and there is clear separation, in one of the back angles you can see Nelson gets a grip under Egan’s left arm, under the underarm.
“We believe that Nelson’s right arm was diagonal from that grip, so diagonally across his chest and that there might be possible minor contact at the end of the tackle with Nelson’s forearm to possibly the neck and chin area.
“But that was only minor contact, it was a forceful tackle which unfortunately resulted in Egan’s head going into the ground.
“But these were all the things that we considered when we ruled that this accidental incident was ruled NFA for us.”
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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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.
