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Jared Waerea-Hargreaves not charged for the high shot that laid out Johnathan Thurston in the Test match in Perth on Saturday night? Really?
I’m not saying hang him. When he wrapped his arm around Thurston’s head, it bent (I’m talking about Waerea-Hargreaves’ arm in this instance, not Thurston’s head, although that bent too), so it wasn’t your classic coat-hanger.
But he got him, and – most importantly – Thurston was hurt, so, no charge at all? Not even at the minor end of careless? Nothing? Come on.
It’s worth asking, as well, whether Thurston should have been taken off for a more thorough concussion assessment before being allowed to continue playing.
The non-charging of Waerea-Hargreaves ahead of the Four Nations tournament just doesn’t look right. (Click to Tweet)
What would have been enough for a player to get charged, in the knowledge that any suspension would force that player to miss at least part of the Four Nations?
There is never going to be any such thing as a warm-up Test between the Aussies and the Kiwis, so if someone steps out of line enough to be charged then let’s at least be a little bit fair dinkum, even if the charge is low enough that with a guilty plea they still avoid suspension.
It was always going to be a very willing match and that awesome pre-match Haka by the Kiwis certainly set the tone in terms of intensity.
It was a ripper – and the first half was pretty good as well. Not classic attacking rugby league, but plenty of fire and heavyweight collisions. The intensity was high and it was engrossing to watch as Australia went to halftime leading 8-6.
But the game gradually fell away as a contest in the second half and the Kiwis were their own worst enemies, with too many mistakes and a string of poor last-tackle options.
It was one of those mistakes that turned the ball over and led to the Valentine Homes try in the corner which, converted by Thurston, pushed the lead out to 14-6.
Australia controlled the game without many problems from that point and will start their Four Nations campaign with confidence after the 26-6 win.
But they will know from harsh experience that what you sometimes get from New Zealand in a one-off Test can be way different from what you get from them in a series, when they get the chance to improve from training and playing together over the course of a month or more.
There is plenty of room for improvement in the Kiwis and it is room they are at least capable of mostly filling.
Some of those last-tackle options were extraordinarily bad for the number one-ranked team in the world.
Jordan Kahu is very safe and reliable at fullback for the Kiwis. He was tested by some tricky kicks along the ground and cleaned the ball up every time. But he is not threatening in attack.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall has bounced between wing and centre during his career. He played centre on Saturday and his performance explained why he has played a lot of games on the wing.
Co-Dally M player of the year Jason Taumalolo wasn’t nearly the force he should have been from lock, but that is surely one of the things the Kiwis can fix. There is no reason he can’t explode in the Four Nations.
Martin Taupau was great off the bench for them.
Australia coach Mal Meninga combatted the size of the Kiwi pack by increasing the size of his own pack, but only with forwards who had some key things going for them apart from their bulk.
Shannon Boyd has tremendous power and a quick play-the-ball for a big man, Boyd Cordner is an athlete and Trent Merrin has great foot-work and is always a chance to offload.
The Aussies moved the Kiwis around and kept the pace of the game up, which helped to wear the opposition down over time.
But the Four Nations will be a whole new tournament on its own, played on the other side of the world in the UK, and the Kiwis, with their new coach, David Kidwell, will surely learn from this experience and be better off for it.
The Aussies have laid down the gauntlet, but that’s all at this stage. And we’ve still got to see what Wayne Bennett can come up with as coach of England.
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