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The NRL got it right: Billy Slater shouldn’t have been charged for his boot to the head of Bulldogs forward David Klemmer.
In reality, he shouldn’t have been put on report.
If Slater meant to kick Klemmer in the head while defusing a bomb on Thursday night, then he is more talented than Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris combined.
The incident does, however, raise the question of when accidental contact to the head of an opponent is an isn’t allowed.
Klemmer was, without doubt, trying to put pressure on Slater, but probably would’ve passed to one side of the fullback, given the line he was running.
It’s therefore tough to argue that Klemmer initiated the contact. In-fact anyone suggesting that is basically saying that Klemmer meant to run into the boot of Slater.
Now, we know rugby league forwards are tough, but that is just lunacy.
Slater didn’t deserve to be charged with dangerous contact, but neither did someone like Parramatta forward Darcy Lussick last week.
Darcy Lussick was hit with a grade one careless high tackle charge after round two.
His contact left Dale Finucane dazed, but the Bulldogs forward fell into the tackle leaving Lussick with little to no chance of avoiding contact to the head.
Still, Lussick took the early guilty plea, and is now walking the suspension tight-rope with 90-carry over points to his name. If he sneezes again this season he’s likely to miss a week.
The NRL is a confusing beast at the best of times, but it seems there is now different grades of accidental contact to the head.
Several judiciary cases last year highlighted the unachievable reaction times that would be needed to avoid hitting a falling ball-runner in the head.
Still, Lussick now has to be cleaner than freshly fallen snow to avoid suspension in the near future.
Is it fair that Lussick has carry over points from his tackle while Slater, already with 75 points against his name after a high hit on North Queensland winger Antonio Winterstein last weekend, gets off? No.
Even though the two incidents are wildly different the outcome is the same.
An opposition player has been hit in the head.
This was a win for common sense. Lets hope the same concept applies the next time we see an unavoidable high tackle.
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