Even Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson wanted rival Justin Hodges to “get his fairytale” amid fears the retiring Brisbane captain may miss the NRL grand final due to suspension.
The Broncos booked their first grand final berth since 2006 with the 31-12 preliminary final win over minor premiers Roosters at a sold out Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
The omens were good from the outset for the hosts when fullback Darius Boyd scored an opening minute intercept try thanks to a Shaun Kenny-Dowall brain snap as the majority of the 51,826-strong crowd.
But not all went to script.
Hodges, 33, put on a brave face on Friday night but will sweat on Monday’s match review committee findings after being placed on report in for a lifting tackle on Roosters backrower Aidan Guerra.
“Nah, not worried mate,” Hodges told Channel Nine.
“It’s what I said to the ref, he’s sorta jumped and he won the penalty”
But it remains to be seen if Hodges can keep alive a fairytale farewell to his 16th season.
A grade one dangerous throw charge carries a 125 point base penalty.
Hodges will need to fight it if pinged by the MRC on Monday, as he has committed a previous offence which carries a 20 per loading.
For the record, even a gutted Robinson wanted Hodges to be sent out a winner.
“It would be tough (to miss final),” he said.
“I hope he gets his fairytale and gets to play.”
Broncos coach Wayne Bennett – now in sight of his seventh title for Brisbane and eighth overall – wasn’t losing any sleep.
“I am not overly worried about it,” he said.
Hodges sent a scare through the Broncos in the first half when he left the field with a back complaint, only to return 10 minutes later.
“I don’t know whether I got a knee in my back,” Hodges said.
The Roosters had their own injury concerns, with NSW halfback Mitchell Pearce failing to return for the second half.
He had not played since round 24 due to a hamstring complaint.
Pearce spent the second half on the sidelines with his leg on ice.
“It wasn’t supposed to be a roll of the dice…but in the end it obviously wasn’t the right call from us,” Robinson said.
But the longest face belonged to Kenny-Dowall.
After Kenny-Dowall’s opening minute howler, the winger looked for redemption in the first set of the second half when he crossed the line in the 42nd minute – only to be denied by the video referee for a dubious forward pass.
Kenny-Dowall’s gaffe helped Brisbane jump to a 16-0 lead after 19 minutes but Robinson was not pointing fingers at fulltime.
“Obviously it was not a great moment,” Robinson said.
“But that’s not the reason we lost the game, we had our opportunities to get our game on and we didn’t.”
Robinson admitted it “hurts” that the Roosters only have one grand final berth (2013) to show for their last three straight minor premierships.
Brisbane have a perfect 6-0 grand final record.
The Broncos play Saturday night’s Melbourne-North Queensland victor in next Sunday’s grand final in Sydney.
mycall
Guest
What was he trying to achieve by lifting his boot so high ? It was stupidity from Hodges and you would expect one of the finest milkers in the game to know better than to give the opposition such an easy penalty to milk. At the end of the day, there is a problem with this tackling technique of one player pulling the upper body down and the other lifting the legs (or boots). Lets not forget that the reason that he will be suspended is not this tackle but the loading that he has from 2 other lifting offences in the recent past. Hodges really has no one to blame but himself. The verdict should at least come early so that he gets to really soak up his last week of football.
Freighter
Guest
There is a massive difference between lifting the boot and lifting from between the legs.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Haha. Yep. Here I am. Ej, he jumped and ducked. I don't honestly think he was ever in real danger. It wasn't a traditional lifting tackle. Hodges was just trying to hold his foot. Either way it won't matter. The Broncos will be strong favourites to win it i think. The effort from the boys was tremendous. We will be doing even more strutting now☺
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Ah here he is. Congratulations sir on an effort that was truly 6 stars out of 5. I'll keep my eyes peeled for media reports of men in Broncos' jerseys strutting around Bondi beach.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
He only landed on his shoulder because he moved his head. No duty of care shown from Hodges. Whether you lift by the leg or boot is irrelevant. It is still a lifting tackle and sooner or later players need to stop doing it. Player safety is paramount and for mine, far greater damage can be done from this tackle, than the shoulder charge which they have come down hard on. It would be a harsh way to end his career. But if the NRL are serious about stamping out the lifting tackle, and it's shocking consequences, then a Grade 1 at a minimum is spot on. I don't think this would even be up for discussion if it happened in Rd 10.
Jara W
Guest
Haha. I think the Josh Jackson case falls into a "special circumstances" genre. Can't see that being used here.
Emcie
Roar Guru
He's alive!!!
Jay C
Roar Guru
He held him by the boot and he landed on his shoulder. Will be a travesty if he misses the gf for that.
Ben Lewis
Roar Pro
I would be hard pressed to see the difference between this and Isaac Luke's suspension last year... but I may be a little biased; any grand final without Hodges playing is a benefit to the game.
Brett
Guest
After watching the replay and considering the defence of previous cases, such as Josh Jackson, Hodges should be fine to play next week.
Emcie
Roar Guru
Why does it take them so long to find the right angle? Does the vr choose their own shots or are they provided by the broadcaster? It just seems strange that they'll look at numerous replays from the same angle at various speeds only to switch to a different one that shows everything clear as day at normal speed
Jara W
Guest
Tricky one. He gets into a dangerous position, there's no denying that. But Hodges' involvement is very minimal. Anyone who says this is a clear cut suspension simply doesn't like the guy. Anyone who says he doesn't have a case to answer simply simply has their eye on the prize.
pjm
Roar Rookie
I'm not a fan of Hodges but he should get off that, all he was doing was holding a boot.
soapit
Guest
yep i was going try because of benefit of the doubt right up until that last angle which showed what we all suspected but couldnt definitively see in the others.
Dutski
Guest
This is the second article on the roar saying the SKD no try was denied by the video ref for a forward pass. The decision was a knock on. Video ref can't rule a forward pass. Right call, too.
Onballer
Guest
So now the bloke with the ball can shoulder charge whoever he likes and now he can spear tackle himself whenever he wants for a penalty & to get the other player suspended. Well done NRL completely stuffed the sport.
Dane
Guest
Just use the Josh Jackson defence. Blame the other guy in the tackle, and get it downgraded and both free to play....
Squidward
Roar Rookie
I fine way to end a fine players career. Goodbye Justin old Shark Eyes
Nordburg
Guest
Agree.QLD media and the like,are quick to criticise anyone that suggests Inglis contributes to tackles that sees him land on his head.The leg lift is becoming more dangerous due to the no.of players in the tackle.Look at Cam Smith,I'm sure he'll still say today that McKinnon contributed to that tackle
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Big test for the MRC. It is a Grade 1 at a minimum based on others this year and in the past. Nobody ever intends to put a player in a dangerous position, but Guerra was dropped on his head, and if this was Round 10 Hodges would definitely be missing next week. We have seen from past incidents that saying a player jumped or was looking for a quick play the ball, is not a justifiable defence (think Inglis multiple times). It would be a horrible way to end his career but that should not be a consideration for the MRC. Nor the judiciary if the Grading is challenged.