Chad Townsend was the third player to be sent off this season and the first to be sent off for a genuine old-school act of violent play.
He launched a jumping shoulder charge into the head of Kalyn Ponga. I’ll say it again. He launched a jumping shoulder charge aimed at the head of Kalyn Ponga.
For this, he was given five weeks, and an early guilty plea will reduce his time on the sidelines to three weeks. Cronulla are a good shout to make the finals, so he’ll be back in time for them.
Five weeks. Just five weeks for possibly the most dangerous and malicious act to take place on the field since Greg Inglis shoulder-rammed Dean Young, and even then Greg Inglis had one leg on the ground.
How can five weeks possibly be a fair punishment? How was this action even able to be graded?
I supported the call for Kevin Proctor to be suspended. I have no doubt he was biting his opponent, although I concede he probably didn’t really mean to. He was panicking, he wanted to play the ball quickly and he had a bit of a brain fade. It wasn’t premeditated. Thuggish play, but at the low end of thuggish play.
He was given six weeks, reduced to four for good behaviour – further proof Proctor’s actions were a weird one-off. He will spend more time on the sidelines than Townsend. I’m not entirely comfortable with this.
It’s complicated because I don’t want to be seen as someone who thinks people who bite should receive smaller punishments than other actions, but it is clear that it is horrendously unfair that someone like Proctor will spend more time on the sidelines than Townsend, who – in my view – actively set out to do one thing and one thing only: hurt his opponent.
Make no mistake; Townsend’s action was beyond reckless or careless. It wasn’t a snap decision either. He lined him up, ran ten metres and then jumped. He had plenty of time to change his mind, plenty of time to consider his actions.
At first, I thought it was made to look worse because the referee had already blown his whistle and Ponga had stopped. Indeed Paul Gallen suggested as much and that Townsend was unable to arrest his momentum.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
But that is wrong. Townsend had clearly started his charge and jump when the referee blew the whistle, so in an alternative world, if it was play on, Ponga would have been collected late. It would’ve been the same outcome.
The simple fact is that Townsend had no other intention but to collect Ponga high, otherwise he simply wouldn’t jump. Why would you jump at a player who is the same height as you if not to be going for the head?
So rare is it to see someone charge up and jump into a player that I really can only recall two other instances: the Inglis incident I mentioned earlier, which was at least a half-jump, and John Hopoate’s career-ending jumping, charging elbow. Players simply do not jump into others, because of how incredibly dangerous and stupid it is. Players just do not do it.
No-one jumps at other players. It just doesn’t happen.
The only thing Townsend can count himself lucky for – or likely unlucky depending on his point of view – was that Ponga got straight back up. It’s just as likely he could have spent the next ten minutes on the grass needing to be stretchered off. Townsend missed his head. Luck and poor execution is the only reason Ponga doesn’t have a broken jaw or worse.
Rugby league is a tough game and, by virtue of it being a full-contact sport, it can also be a violent game. Rightly, not wrongly. Accidents on the field are an acceptable level of violence – that is, the accidental head knock or knee to the head in the scramble for the ball et cetera. Careless acts on the field are an acceptable level of violence – accidental high shots and so on – but intentional acts of violence are just plain wrong and need to be stamped out of the game with a huge suspension.
This was one of the most thuggish acts of play I’ve seen on the rugby league field since, well, since Hopoate.
Of course, I’m likely to be in the minority. Most of the media have already lined up behind Townsend and aimed the proverbial weaponry at Ben Cummins. Gallen, Steve Roach, Peter Sterling, Phil Gould, Greg Alexander have all come out and said that the referee overreacted. With the exception of Gallen, those other gents all played in an era during which that act was unquestionably a send-off. It always has been.
Of course, none of them would be in a position to answer why Townsend jumped into a player with his shoulder.
The NRL was doing everything right until the charge was laid. It needed to go straight to the tribunal. We needed to see Townsend hauled in front of them explaining what he was thinking and then given ten to 12 weeks as a deterrent. We must never see that again on the football field.
Both Townsend and Ponga got lucky. The next players involved may not be so lucky.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
This so called strategy must have been arranged before the game in that case , by the coach? Or did the players go behind the coaches back? What was the ultimate reward? Finishing 7th perhaps instead of 8th? So the strategy was to injure Ponga at all costs including the cost of letting in tries and having a player or two sent off and suspended? Say the ''strategy'' is successful and Ponga breaks his jaw and misses the finals why wouldn't those responsible for this deliberate and apparently obvious and planned act expect to be sued? Great strategy!
Nick
Roar Guru
Russell Packer punched a guy in the head and then kicked him him the head when he was knocked out. AFB beat up his missus. Here you are defending both. What a classy, classy man you are.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
1. BS otherwise you’d have a clue of what you were talking about. 2. So, you’ve labeled the tactics of a club ‘grubby’ on the back of........nothing ? Intelligently and forcibly presented. 3. Fox ? Bwaah ha ha ! Again granite like support of an argument. 4. Just when I’m trying so hard to make you my new best friend.
Nick
Roar Guru
1. Yes I watched the game. 2. I made it clear that I said it's what I think, and that I can't prove it. You REALLY need to read. 3. I'm absolutely not the only one who thinks the same. Besides the people here, even on Fox on Monday they all thought there was a targeted ploy to go for Ponga. You believe what you want. I frankly don't care.
Beetle
Roar Rookie
I feel like you double-crossed yourself a few times in this article. Proctors actions were a weird one-off, but so were Townsends. I dont think Townsend has ever been suspended until now. And yeah you can say Townsend had intent to hurt, but if you bite someone how is that not intent to hurt?? I also dont recall Inglis jumping into Dean Youngs head in THAT tackle, I actually recall Dean Young being dragged down from behind hence why Inglis hit him in the head
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
What reason could there be that all 3 players all attempt to make primary contact at Ponga’s head or neck (rather than attempting effective legal tackles) other than that they were attempting to execute a strategy of taking Ponga out of the game?
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Retribution still has plenty of fans it seems but luckily the NRL don't tolerate it. It's funny how many of the same people who think that Townsend got off lightly when he was sent off and suspended were applauding Curtis Scott when he assaulted and broke bones in an opponents head because he gave some lip. The mind boggles.
Paul
Roar Guru
hi Dexter, my concern was listening to players who brush off issues with the attitude " it was okay in my day, so it should be okay now". They don't need to speak these words, but if something illegal happens and they have no defence other than their experience as a player for justifying their opinions, I fail to see how that adds value to conversations?
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I'm not sure what era your son played in but if you think the game was safer in the 70's and 80's than now you are in Disneyland. Fights and thuggery were rampant in these times and the incidence of foul play is dramatically less now. Many thugs in other eras were heroes unlike today. Blood baths like the battle of Brisbane and the 73 Grand Final don't happen now and have been replaced by the so called ''battle of Brookvale''. Remember John Sattler being blatantly taken out in a GF? Ellery Hanley ? Take the rose colored glasses off . Townsend was sent off and suspended unlike the thugs who mauled Sattler and Hanley.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I'm glad you weren't running Manly when Brett Stewart was falsely accused. Russell Packer served his time and deserved a second chance like everyone else. It's how civilised countries operate. You no doubt think no one should employ, marry or be his friend? What exactly do you propose he does with his life? The ''heroes'' who were vocal -very much so , that nobody should support Brett Stewart because of what he ''had done'' became very much silent after the case. It's hard to believe that most of them have learnt nothing from that case and are laying the slipper in to players like JDB. Stop supporting Saints if you feel so strongly about the issue.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
In all honesty did you watch the entire game ? It’s important that you see every Ponga carry in the game before you opine on the player’s treatment. Other than that the lone act of stupidity byTownsend..there’s nothing,zilch, evidence of a sustained pre conceived plan to ‘injure Ponga out of the game’ in any other carry. An accidental slap on the nose and 3 tries jogging thru ‘throwing an arm out’ defenders, that’s the sick and sorry plan..let him score and slap him ? Townsend deserved to go, no argument but you’ve stooped to invention to hammer the entire club when you didn’t really need to.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
I am agreeing with you mate. What I am trying to say there is the defence of "I didn't mean to" doesn't wash because he jumped.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Well said Paul. I copped some criticism for defending the Napa hit on Korbin Sims a few years back that plenty were calling a send off. In that hit Napa had his head down and was driving at a legal height to the upright Sims before sims drops his own legs out from underneath himself which brought on the head clash. Clean sheet or no clean sheet, if Ponga had time to stop and turn in response to the whistle Chad had time to do something other than take another step and launch into Ponga with both feet leaving the ground. Gallen is so delusional bias that it’s not funny. If that wasn’t a send off you may as well take it out of the book.
Marlin
Roar Rookie
Do I ask questions and answer them myself? Yes I do!
Marlin
Roar Rookie
Dumb? No doubt but really what an absolute mongrel dog. The bloke had stopped after the whistle blew and old mate has lined him up and launched into him with a shoulder???
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Effectively, that’s all they were. And it’s lead to two of them being punted out of this weeks side.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Trindall striking him in the face and breaking his nose. Ramien attacking his neck long after the tackle had been completed. Townsend executing a leaping shoulder charge into his head. Many others.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Deliberate thuggery disguised as an accident was Adrian Morley’s entire career.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I've seen Pongas first try and I see an elusive player running through some weak defence which is ineffective in part due to going too high. The bit where the defence is trying to deliberately hit him high in an attempt to injure him is not evident to me at all, it doesn't exist. I saw a gilt edged chance to cause Ponga real damage when he stretched one leg out to get a 20 metre restart and left himself in a very awkward position yet the Sharks player didn't touch him.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Yeah - now that you mention it, on a closer viewing they actually appear to be congratulatory backslaps.