Once again the failure of the NRL Judiciary astounds us as they fail in their charter to protect the player group from harmful intent, and the reputation of the game.
James Maloney was charged with ‘dangerous contact’ over an incident he was involved with during Monday night’s game against the Titans.
The Judiciary announced:
“James Maloney has been found not guilty of dangerous contact at the NRL judiciary on Wednesday night.
The judiciary panel of Royce Ayliffe, Bob Lindner and Sean Garlick took ten minutes to reach a decision on the grade two charge stemming from a tackle on Gold Coast centre Konrad Hurrell.”
It was evident in the same article that the judiciary heard ‘hearsay’ testimony presented by Maloney in his own defence – also reported by the NRL website:
“In a case that lasted over an hour, Maloney gave evidence in regard to the 88th minute tackle in the Cbus Super Stadium draw that ended the Sharks 15-match winning streak.
Maloney said he had followed NRL guidelines in the tackle.
“I tried to keep the leg in its range of movement as we are told to do,” he said.
“I applied minimal pressure to the back of the knee and released him safely.
“I released him as soon as there was the danger of an injury.”
Maloney also reasserted claims his former Warriors teammate told him post-game he was feigning injury in the tackle.
“He told me he was trying to milk a penalty,” Maloney said.
Regardless of what Konrad Hurrell is purported to have said, that evidence should not sway the judiciary. The vision of the incident is what was used to charge Maloney, and his innocence or guilt should have been decided on that evidence alone. If ‘defence’ spokesperson wanted to introduce Hurrell’s evidence in support of Maloney’s assertion, then at least a ‘Stat Dec’ should have been tendered as evidence to support the claim.
Also, the summary of how the incident played out is inconsistent with the vision of the incident. He did not release the ankle until he had rolled his shoulder into Hurrell’s knee, and he did put the ankle in the opposite direction of the shoulder push.
This was a serious attempt to cause harm to a fellow player, for the Judiciary to roll over on such a charge bears closer inspection. We all saw the incident, it went unpunished on the field, and the Match Committee saw enough to issue a ‘Grade 2′ Dangerous Contact charge. For ‘hearsay’ evidence to sway the judiciary seems consistent with their inconsistent performances of the past.
The NRL must think all the fans, all the players, and all the coaches are blind to what is seen on millions of TV screens. These end decisions become almost comical in their obvious tangent to the rules the game is supposedly played under.
As there is no appeal process available to the aggrieved player, or their club, and plenty of fines attached if they speak out against the decision.
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