It seems South Sydney’s Cody Walker wasn’t too happy with Cronulla’s Cameron McInnes after their game on Saturday with Walker spotted brushing McInnes’ handshake at full time.
The Sharks defeated the Rabbitohs 21-20 in a golden point thriller with Nicho Hynes slotting the matchwinning field goal after a few failed attempts from Latrell Mitchell Matt Moylan.
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Afterwards Walker went down the line, shaking hands with Nicho Hynes before locking eyes with McInnes and then shoving him away as McInnes attempted to shake his hand.
McInnes turned back as Walker continued down the line and appeared to follow after him.
The pair played together at the Rabbitohs before McInnes joined the Dragons in 2017.
Walker set up a try, got four tackle busts, two offloads and ran for 73 meters but overall it was a night to forget for the Bunnies’ star five-eighth as Sharks players continued to get under his skin.
The McInnes moment comes six weeks after Walker’s temperament was labeled a “massive problem” for the Rabbitohs given rivals are now purposely trying to set him off.
Dragons prop Aaron Woods revealed after their 32-12 win over the Rabbitohs in Round 15 that trying to get under Walker’s skin was a part of their game plan.
Clearly accepts five game ban | 00:45
“If we can get him off his game a little bit, try to frustrate him and pressure him we know he does get a little bit angry,” he told Triple M at the time.
“The fuse is pretty short with him and you can get him off the game. That was part of it [the game plan].”
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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.
The Eels haven’t given up hope of landing Martin Taupau — but have until 5pm, Monday to get the deal over the line.
Meanwhile, the Titans may have found a solution to one of their biggest spine problems and the Bulldogs have added two forwards to their pack.
Read on for the latest in NRL Transfer Whispers.
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EELS’ LAST MINUTE CHASE FOR TAUPAU
The Eels arekeen onluring Manly veteran Martin Taupau to the club for the rest of the season — but time is running out.
It was revealed last week that Taupau, who comes off contract at the end of the season, requested an immediate release to join the Eels but was denied.
Eels coach Brad Arthur confirmed his interest in the 32-year-old, saying “he’d be handy for us… but that is Manly’s call,” after his side’s win over the Panthers.
And now, the club are making one last push for the star prop, according to The Sydney Morning Heraldbut have until 5pm Monday to get the deal over the line.
The Herald reports the Eels have been “desperately calling” Manly over the weekend to convince the club to release Taupau but have had no luck.
They will continue their chase on Monday in a bid to secure the 217-gamer before the August 1 deadline closes.
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Cowboys slay Dragons in big second half | 02:13
TITANS TO FINALLY FILL GLARING HOLE
Roosters’ hooker Sam Verrills is reportedly set to sign with the Gold Coast Titans following the Tricolours’ acquisition of Brandon Smith.
Smith signed with the Roosters in December last year, immediately throwing Verrills’ future into the spotlight.
Now, the 23-year-old will make the move north to join the Titans and fill a much-needed hole in the Gold Coast spine according to The Daily Telegraph.
Verrills has been strong in recent weeks, inspiring Trent Robinson’s side to three straight wins.
Prior to the 2022 season, Titans coach Justin Holbrook rolled the dice and deployed the youngest spine in the competition.
The club let Jamal Fogarty walk, but have now signed Kieran Foran to fill their halfback void, and have now moved to lockdown a regular starter in the No.9 jersey.
First-choice hooker Erin Clark has shifted into lock and has been impressive in patches, opening the dummy-half slot for Verrills to potentially take over.
It comes after Holbrook granted following the Titans’ Round 19 loss that he was in the market for a dummy-half.
However, the Titans may have a fight on their hands with Phil Rothfield telling Sky Sports Radio that “St George Illawarra might come in with an offer,” for Verrills too.
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“I can do it all!” Foxx delivers try | 00:39
BULLDOGS ADD TO PACK
Bulldogs supreme Phil Gould has reportedly landed two new forwards — Franklin Pele and Andrew Davey.
Davey, who has become a first-grade regular, and Pele, who has just one NRL game under his belt for the Sharks, will make the move to Belmore according to TheDaily Telegraph.
Pele, 21, weighs more than 120kg and has a cult following at Cronulla’s feeder club the Newton Jets.
According to reports the Bulldogs are hoping to get the hulking prop fit and increase his potential minutes.
Meanwhile, 30-year-old Davey, who was a late bloomer in first grade, is set to make the switch.
Davey made his NRL debut at the Eels in 2020, becoming the fourth-oldest debutant in the history of the game at 28-years old.
After making the switch to the Sea Eagles in 2021, Davey suffered a season-ending knee injury but has been strong in 2022.
