Tariq Sims looks to have played his last match with St George Illawarra after accepting a four-match ban for knocking Cronulla’s Connor Tracey out with his shoulder in round 21.
Melbourne-bound Sims was sent to the sin-bin for making contact with Tracey’s head, leaving the winger motionless on the ground and in need of stretchering from the field.
On Sunday morning, the match review committee hit Sims with a grade three careless high tackle charge, which carried a four-match ban given the back-rower’s history of two previous charges this season.
With the Dragons’ finals hopes all but dashed, the decision to accept the ban means Sims is highly unlike to play again this season.
St George Illawarra are two games and a huge points differential behind the eighth-placed Sydney Roosters, who will need to endure a form slump to give the Dragons any chance of qualifying for the finals.
Canberra and Manly are also standing between the Dragons and their first finals appearance since 2018.
Had Sims unsuccessfully challenged his charge at the NRL judiciary, the ban would have stretched into the first game of his career with the Storm.
Tracey was up and about in the sheds after the hit but is looking at some time on the sidelines himself, with Matt Ikuvalu, Mawene Hiroti and Lachie Miller his potential replacements for this weekend’s match against Wests Tigers.
Sims is likely to be replaced at lock by Jack De Belin, who played 11 games there this season before shifting to the front row.
Elsewhere, James Fisher-Harris has accepted a two match ban for his high tackle on Canberra’s Ryan Sutton, becoming the latest premiership Panther forced onto the sidelines.
By pleading guilty to his grade three careless high tackle charge, he will join Nathan Cleary (suspension), Viliame Kikau (hip injury) and Jarome Luai (knee injury) as unavailable for the match against the Storm.
Penrith five-eighth Jaeman Salmon was charged with contrary conduct for the kicking incident with Raiders hooker Tom Starling which provoked the Ricky Stuart‘s ‘weak-gutted dog’ comments, but has avoided a ban, entering an early guilty plea to receive a $1000 fine.
Raiders winger Nick Cotric was also binned for a high tackle and copped a one-game ban with the early guilty plea.
Joseph Suaalii. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Suaalii undecided on Australia or Samoa
Joseph Suaalii has revealed that he has not made his call for the Rugby League World Cup at the end of the year, preferring to wait to see which sides select him.
He confirmed that neither Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga nor Toa Samoa boss Matt Parish had been in touch regarding selections, and that he was simply happy to wait and see.
“I honestly haven’t thought about it too much but I want to be there playing at the World Cup,” said the towering winger after the Roosters’ defeat of Brisbane last night.
“I’m trying to make that Australian team and if I’m lucky enough I’ll make that Samoan team as well. If I get picked for either of them it would be an honour. If I’m playing at the World Cup I’ll be happy.”
Brandy takes aim at Cameron Smith over ‘unfair claims
Panthers deputy chairman Greg Alexander has shot back at SEN Radio colleague Cameron Smith over the Penrith legend’s claim that most of the illegal tackling tactics in the past two decades have originated from Melbourne.
Smith denied the “unfair claims” made by Alexander in the wake of the recent rise in hip-drop tackles, such as Broncos forward Patrick Carrigan’s incident last weekend which left Tigers opponent Jackson Hastings with a broken leg.
Alexander said he could not see how the Storm premiership-winning great was surprised by his comments.
“He is a colleague and I do enjoy chatting on Monday morning with Cameron and Matty Johns, but I didn’t think it was any type of revelation when I made those comments about the hip-drop emanating out of Melbourne Storm,” he said on SEN Radio.
“I just thought it was a general consensus that over the last 20 years all the tackles, the wrestle techniques have come from Melbourne.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
“I may be generalising or even jumping to a conclusion but I don’t think I am.”
Alexander pointed to the fact that two of the first three hip-drop tackle offences charged in 2020 were by Storm players.
“I think history shows, and it’s not a stretch for me to jump to a Melbourne Storm conclusion that for 20 years – the grapple, the chicken wing, the rolling pins, the crusher, the hip drop – I think they all emanated out of Melbourne.
“Melbourne have led the way, they changed the game back in 2002 and 2003 where the wrestle became part of the game.
“All those variations of slowing the play the ball down, I think they all emanated out of Melbourne, they were ahead of the game.”
JennyFromPenny
Guest
Starling takes a hit to the front pocket, Salmon takes a hit to the back pocket. I guess that's fair.
Dean
Roar Rookie
I could easily see Sullivan moving to hooker too. He started there back end of last year and if he's physically robust enough it's not a bad apprenticeship playing middle inside Hunt for a year or two. Given Hunt has been our only legitimate attacking threat this year, the team really needs to be built around him.
Heyou
Roar Rookie
Which tackling techniques are considered to be lawful by the nrl? And when are these lawful tackles NOT considered lawful? And when are they considered almost lawful but not quite? And then when is the lawful tackle considered as fully unlawful because a tackler ‘ behaves in any way contrary to the true spirit of the game?’ Section 15 (j)… or is that outdated now? The NRL bunch of ‘rule books’ and additional bits and pieces and bits to be disregarded, and bits to be added and bits that are to be changed and the bits about there being various interpretations to be added to the past current interpretations? And I’m about fed up to the back teeth with the hecking NRL and their weird rule making and rule faking ways… probably because I won’t be cheering my team on in finals AGAIN and their ratty rule rorting is entirely to blame! No I’m kidding. I’m just cranky.
chris
Guest
Not sure what the Sharks are going on about wanting Tatola banned. There was 0 in that tackle and was just an unfortunate accident. I mean if the Tatola tackle is deemed illegal we may as well stop playing tackle and just play touch football.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Hope you are talking about for the Dogs...
Justin
Guest
Only Melbourne supporters would believe that all of the dangerous tackles didn’t come from Bellamy & the Storm . The wrestling in tackles also came from the Storm. They still get away with too much holding down & wrestling in tackles. It’s just that the team in general, isn’t as good this season. They had ‘wrestling coaches’ there, way before any other team did it. However, Smith & Melbourne supporters can dream on . Alexander is correct!
Bernie
Roar Rookie
what are your thoughts on M.Potter for head clipboard holder?
Adam
Roar Guru
From what I've heard he does
Larry1950
Guest
Not everything evil came out of Melbourne Storm, from memory Isaac Luke was an early and avid exponent of the cannonball & it looked to me to be a product of the Rabbitohs getting things done ‘whatever the cost’. Search youtube with ‘Isaac Luke is a grub’ for his early solo hip drop version against England 10 years back.
Bernie
Guest
yeah i was thinking the same. the hook's game plan (a misnomer perhaps?) doesn't include flair. J.Amone seems to have a nice short kicking name & looks like he could run the ball, but when your forwards aren't bending the line and your team leads the comp with line breaks conceded, how much room is there for running the ball?
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
#HuntforHooker '24. Or he'll be gone when we move on Hook. Need to keep O'Sullivan and play them in the coming weeks. We won't be in finals.
danwain
Roar Rookie
Good point, shuffling the deck chairs only works at the elite level otherwise it ends up dogs breakfast. I don't have the answers, but you don't resign a young guy with potential to a 4 year deal without some pathway to the first grade team. Whether that is Hunt to hooker and Amone/Sullivan in the halves I don't know. I what I'm seeing at the moment is an old coach unwilling to really let the team express themselves, so you can understand if they wanted to leave... If I wasn't so emotionally attached i would leave!
UAP
Guest
I think with Amone he is being muzzled by Griffin like when Eddie Jones coached Australia in union. Remove any natural flair that they have and make them play like robots to a dour game plan
Tony
Roar Guru
The problem with Hunt is that the older he gets, the worse his defence is when defending on the edge. Time he went to 9, Sullivan to 7, and McCullough to the airport
Tony
Roar Guru
Show him the money
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
John, why would you want him anyway regardless . His use by date as a player is long gone , if he wants to get involved in coaching fair enough .
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Good luck to Cronulla on wanting an explanation from the NRL on what's illegal and what's not . It changes every week depending on who's fronting the judiciary .
Cam
Roar Rookie
Brandy “I may be generalising or even jumping to a conclusion but I don’t think I am.” Now I was really hoping Alexander would back up his statement with video footage from a Storm wrestling session, possibly a signed affidavit from a dark-arts coach, or even a copy of "Hip drops for Dummies as taught by Melbourne Storm". Unfortunately he has gone with the Dennis Denuto defence and just generalised the $hit out of it. I laughed when I read his original statement, but couldn't believe Brandy was genuinely surprised Cam Smith called him out.
KenW
Roar Rookie
He's had some nice touches this year too, but it's also not unusual to recall a game and struggle to think of any play he made. He's 20 so that's not terminal, but he needs to find a way to impose himself consistently.
Joe
Roar Rookie
I can understand why they didn't charge Totola, looked like he was just coming across and made a tackle and the wet weather caused him to slide into Kennedy's legs and unfortunately the ankle got trapped.