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With a fairytale grand final farewell all but secured with 23 minutes on the clock, why would Justin Hodges entertain the thought of spinning Aidan Guerra past the horizontal?
On first view, my immediate thoughts turned to an ugly week of media to-and-fro culminating in Hodges sadly joining the likes of Cameron Smith and Issac Luke on the grand final-snubbed list.
On first inspection it was a no brainer. Over the tipping point, minimum grade-one, prior offence, no judiciary defence, pack your flag and join the Homebush crowd, because they won’t let you on the park.
I was so convinced, I gave it no further consideration until reporters caught up with the retiring Bronco post-match.
A calm and carefree Hodges had me quickly scrambling for the remote with this quip, “I will be fine, it’s one of those things, he jumped in the tackle, I couldn’t do anything about it.”
And he’s right.
One replay was enough for me to switch camps.
So what was Guerra thinking, why would anyone deliberately confront such danger?
The Roosters showed little emotion after the tackle as often occurs in polarising situations like this. Guerra certainly didn’t look like he’d pulled off a penalty-winning heist.
But now it gets messy. Previous incidents will be aired for comparison and the match review committee will sweat under opposing blowtorches from either side of the Tweed.
I suspect in this case, the MRC will take the safety net and issue a grade-one charge leaving the Broncos’ best suits enough room to potentially clear their man.
So did Guerra deliberately jump, was he looking for a quick play-the-ball? Does it matter? It certainly wasn’t a deliberate act.
Did Hodges carelessly lift his Rooster opponent above the horizontal? No, he lifted the ankle of a player with forward momentum who simultaneously surged and tumbled awkwardly.
The timing and physics at play could be argued until the return of leather footballs, but compared to non-penalised incidents of pure intent, the Hodges- Guerra tangle was nothing more than a ‘sorry mate, fair penalty to you guys, play on’.
In the wake of the Alex McKinnon tackle, would the NRL rub Hodges out of the big one? Or will they allow him to take his place in the decider?
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