NRL match review committee chairman Greg McCallum has defended the decision not to charge Manly’s Steve Matai with dangerous contact.
The Kiwi centre was cleared of any charges after sliding in feet first in an attempt to prevent Brisbane’s Jharal Yow Yeh from scoring a try in his side’s 26-14 win on Friday.
His Manly teammate Tony Williams was charged with a grade two careless high tackle, after also being put on report for a challenge on Yow Yeh, but he too will be free to face the Warriors in the grand final with an early guilty plea.
Matai, with a poor history at the judiciary, appeared to be in grave danger of missing next Sunday’s grand final, but McCallum said having reviewed footage of the incident, there was no way the committee could have charged the 27-year-old.
“Matai led with his foot to try and stop the ball being put down,” McCallum told AAP.
“Had he made any contact at all with the player he would have been charged with dangerous contact and because the player was on the ground we looked to see if he dropped his knees and we were satisfied that he didn’t.
“Although his knee did come into contact after it hit the ground, he sort of slid into him and made some contact in the lower part of the player.
“The key things are that he didn’t drop knees first and he didn’t make contact with his foot, so that meant he couldn’t be charged.”
McCallum also denied the committee, which also includes former North Sydney Bears coach Peter Louis and NSW great Bradley Clyde, took into account that Matai could miss the grand final had he been charged.
“Absolutely not, players have been ruled out of grand finals because of a charge,” he said.
“We looked at it plenty of times, but the head-on shot is pretty compelling and it clearly shows what happened and we were satisfied that we had a good understanding of what he was trying to do with his foot.
“You have to have contact for there to be a charge, you can’t charge a player for missing or intending to do something.
“In Matai’s case the head-on shot clearly shows that to be the case and there was no contact with the foot.”
McCallum said the reaction of Yow Yeh after being caught made the situation look worse and believes he was still suffering from the effects of being caught with a high shot two minutes earlier from Williams.
McCallum also backed referee Shayne Hayne’s decision to put Matai on report.
“Yow Yeh had been hit pretty hard earlier and I would say, and although I am not a medical person, that he was winded rather than suffered any injury to the ribs,” McCallum said
“He was hit low down and I think people just assumed both knees hit him, but one knee didn’t make contact at all, it was only the second knee, which was his right knee, that made some contact with him.
“The incident is concerning that a player would go in like that, but the code is very specific, a charge couldn’t be made and all of the boxes couldn’t be ticked.
“Players are entitled to stop opponents scoring tries but it’s how you do it, if you use your foot and if any part of his foot had made contact with Yow Yeh’s body then Matai would have been charged.”
Jarrod
Guest
you lot are unbelievable with the dribble you carry on with, if any of you muppets had some brains you would know that he hit the ground first and tried to pull out, if it was darren lockyer and he was gonna miss a grand final you would be all saying 'nah nothing in it not enough to miss a gf' but cos its manly and steve matai you want him dead, dont get me wrong i hate him and manly as well but gee you lot think the match review commitee is inconsistent, maybe you morons might need to buy a mirror and stop whinging about any single person in the nrl who has a position of authority unlilke you bludgers
Jarrod
Guest
your not wrong mate anyone with a bit of sense {and not just someone who finds the need to targert matai for anything he does} will see he pulled out, to miss a grand final for that would be a joke, if it was darren lockyer and he was charged and going to miss a gf you muppets would be blowing up a storm
Bern
Guest
In late 2008 Billy Slater came under scrutiny for his feet first tackle with Greg McCallum saying at the time it wouldn't be tolerated because it was "centimetres from catastrophe". In March 2009 Nathan Merritt received a contary conduct charge for a similar incident and received a one match ban. In March 2009 Slater received a grade one charge and was able to play with an early guilty plea. McCallum said himself "he led with his foot to prevent the ball being put down". So that itself says a grade one charge and with his carry over points he misses the GF. @ soapit I'm not a whinging Qlder but anyone who has followed the game with an open mind can see the inconsistency of this committee.
soapit
Guest
before opening this article i thought 'i'll bet most of these comments are whinging qlders going on about sydney bias" two posts in and i'm not disappointed.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Mals, I was writing in response to your comment about hitting the grass first, so he shouldn't be charged. I was arguing there can't have been any doubt as to his intention in this situation. Whether he hit the ground first shouldn't make a difference. He was never going to do anything but lead with his knees/legs. He made contact with Yow Yeh, so how he escaped sanction, to me, is crazy.
The Barry
Roar Guru
McCallum treats us like chumps with these comments. Matai didn't make contact ? His knees landed square into Yow Yehs ribs. He didn't hit the ground first and slide in and his feet were never out in front of his knees, they were tucked up underneath. I'm happy for there to be two rules so players don't miss semis or GFs for careless or reckless incidents but to treat us like chumps and say there was no contact is laughable. No wonder no one has faith in the process. If Williams tackle had happened in round 15 he would have been rubbed out for a couple of weeks.
Mals
Guest
You are kidding Hoy surely!?! You can't suspend someone for intent, or what you think there intention is!! What next, suspend someone for a thought process???
col
Guest
I will do everthing in my power to spilt up the NRL, FULLSTOP., QLD can have thier own comp, thier own judicary, own everthing, that will make me happy, Therfore MSW can get its own comp. Piss off the whingers.
Glenn
Guest
The simple fact is matai hit him with his knees and it was reckless, if the player had received Broken ribs i bet they would have charged him. He should have got at leeast 1 week for it.
Hoy
Roar Guru
So if I run in studs up, and hit the grass first? Less charge or no different? This is crazy. The player led with his knees. Say Yow Yeh got out of the tackle of Robertson, and was going for the line, Matai was always going to lead with his knees so what then? You can't argue intention, because his intention surely was to lead with his knees/legs/foot whatever.
Mals
Guest
Same with Tony Williams, the initial contact of his arm is on the shoulder of Yow Yeh. If they initial contact had been with the head he would be looking at a good few weeks on the sideline.
Mals
Guest
Eh, why should it be meaningless? Where the initial contact is made is paramount! The initial contact is with the grass.
WQ
Guest
Clearly there are two sets of rules, those that apply to Sydney based players and those that apply to everybody else! I can't agree more there definately needs to be an independent judiciary. If I was Dave Taylor or Cameron Smith right now I would sue the NRL!
Jonathan Healy
Roar Rookie
Mals, that doesn't make sense. Whether his knees hit the ground first is meaningless - or at least, should be meaningless. In the rest of McCallum's ridiculous, gibberish, contradictory and all-round laughable quote, he said one of the reasons Matai wasn't charged was because he didn't drop to his knees. This judiciary system has become a joke. It's humanly impossible to get a precedent to support your case because, for every case there is at least one identical case that got a different outcome.
League Guru
Guest
"Matai led with his foot to try and stop the ball being put down,” McCallum told AAP." I thought that was supposed to be an offence in itself.
John Reason
Guest
What a load of rubbish this man pours out. When he was a referee 20 years ago it was a well known fact that he favoured the corrupt side of rugby league the in power. Now he has managed to find a new position in the eve of a new regime taking over. Someone in power should take some action to rid the game of these bad influences. reaso
Mals
Guest
Matai's knees hit the grass first Hoy. That is why he was not cited.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Once again, another astounding decision by the judiciary. Watching it, I was never concerned about Matai's feet, but he clearly lead with his knees, into a player. Is that acceptable now? Apparently so... What I don't understand is, with all these decisions letting players off, how are players ever charged anymore given all the precedents they are setting?
oikee
Guest
Biggest load of BS i have ever heard. The first thing the Commission has to do is get neutral committee because this one is nothing short of a joke. If it was Slater he would have copped 3 weeks. The swinging arm by Williams was fair enough, wonder what he will get after letting one go in the final.