NRL News: Finucane escapes ban, V’landys defends Taylan May, Graham on Murray HIA, Welch delay

Taylan May will miss Penrith’s NRL preliminary final after pleading guilty to a careless high tackle charge following the Panthers’ 27-8 defeat of Parramatta.

The winger was sin-binned for his hit on Eels centre Will Penisini during the first half of Friday night’s game and was handed a category two charge.

May risked missing both the preliminary and grand final by unsuccessfully pleading his case at the judiciary and has accepted a one-match ban.

Charlie Staines and Sunia Turuva are the two most likely replacements for May.

May’s availability for the finals series had been the subject of debate after the NRL suspended him for two weeks following the guilty verdict in an assault trial but delayed the suspension until 2023.

Cronulla co-captain Dale Finucane was charged with a grade one crusher tackle in the aftermath of the Sharks’ qualifying final loss to North Queensland.

Finucane can escape suspension with a $3000 fine for his hit on Luciano Leilua if he accepts an early guilty plea but will miss two games should he make an unsuccessful challenge to the charge.

Canberra prop Joe Tapine and Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt have escaped scrutiny from the match review committee despite being placed on report for a high tackle and a crusher tackle respectively on Saturday.

V’landys defends May

ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys mounted a bizarre defence of the decision to delay Taylan May’s punishment by claiming it was done to protect Penrith’s fans.

And Canterbury general manager Phil Gould has added his support by posting on social media that May should be congratulated for his actions.

Gould wrote in the early hours of Thursday morning that May’s scuffle with an 18-year-old man last year during Penrith’s Grand Final celebrations should be applauded because he was standing up for teammate Nathan Cleary.

Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin had described May’s actions as “reprehensible” and “cowardly” when handing down his sentence last week. 

“Why argue over when Taylan May suspension should be served? Why was he suspended at all?” Gould wrote.

“No conviction recorded by court. $1000 fine. Hardly serious matter. Video clearly shows he defused situation before it escalated. Why are footballers always wrong? May should be congratulated”

The young winger was charged with assaulting a teenager during the Panthers’ grand final celebrations on the Sunshine Coast in October 2021, and was found guilty late last month.

No conviction was recorded but he was ordered to pay a $1000 fine and another $1000 to the victim.

The NRL handed May its own $7500 fine, half of which was suspended, and also proposed a two-match ban to be served next year. May is free to play in the finals starting with this Friday’s clash against Parramatta.

“A lot of ex players look at it through a player’s lens, we look at it through everyone’s lens and the most important person at the moment is the fan,” V’landys claimed on Channel 9.

“Why penalise Penrith fans for an indiscretion that the player did? The person that should be paying the penalty is the player, and (May) will, because he will miss two matches and a substantial part of his salary.”

The incident at Duporth Tavern, Maroochydore occurred after May took exception to comments directed at Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary by the teenager.

Cleary said the guilty verdict has shown the Penrith team the dangers of failing to handle negative attention from the public appropriately.

He said he did not immediately consider the ramifications of May’s actions. “It was probably the next day that I thought that something bad could come of it,” Cleary told reporters. “At the time, I thought he was diffusing the situation.

“There are always going to be those kinds of people who are trying to get under your skin but that’s the life we live,” he said. “We’ve got to deal with it the right way.

“Being a rugby league player is a very privileged job but it’s also a 24/7 job. It’s not just when we’re here at training or on the field. It’s off the field, anywhere we’re around people. I think (May) definitely understands that now.”

(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary on Thursday threw his support behind May, adamant there was no malice in his pub assault and it’s fair he’s allowed to play in the NRL finals.

Cleary said on Thursday he was “very pleased” May was able to play, claiming he didn’t understand why people were upset. “Some people will think that he shouldn’t be suspended at all as well,” Cleary said.

“I’m not going to make a call on that, other than to say that I support Taylan. This incident happened, he’d played one game in first grade. It was 12 months ago. He was sober. He was just trying to defuse an incident.

“Potentially he was strong-handed, but he certainly didn’t mean to do anything other than just try and defuse the situation. He’s been dealt with in court. That’s where it lies there.”

The decision has angered the likes of former NRL star Issac Luke, who pointed to inconsistency from the NRL after he missed the 2014 Grand Final while suspended for a dangerous tackle.

Asked whether the May decision should prompt the NRL to defer bans for on-field incidents during the finals as well, Cleary was non-committal.

“I don’t know. It looks like there’s some precedent happening,” Cleary responded. “The NRL have made it look like they’re pretty clear on that (for off-field matters), so I guess we wait and see.”

Eels coach Brad Arthur was similarly tight-lipped when quizzed about May’s inclusion in the qualifying final at BlueBet Stadium.

“I don’t make the rules in the NRL,” he told reporters. “We just get told what they are and we follow them and we’re going to have the same approach here. All that we can worry about is what happens in our backyard.”

Luai said May wasn’t the only one who would take lessons away from the incident. “It’s a bit of a learning curve for everyone, not just Taylan,” he said. “We’re looked on in the public eye in a different manner. We just need to be careful out there because we’re role models … We can’t slip up.”

D-day for Des at divided Sea Eagles

Manly coach Des Hasler’s future is likely to be decided at a meeting with club officials on Thursday with both parties agitating for different outcomes.

There have been several claims and counterclaims from Hasler and the club in the lead-up to the meeting which will also be attended by the coach’s agent, George Mimis.

Sea Eagles boss Scott Penn has indicated they would consider extending Hasler’s tenure beyond next year if a succession plan was put in place for the next coach to take over down the track.

Hasler could have had a 2024 option triggered in his current contract if the team finished in the top six but they faded badly with seven straight losses on the back of the pride jersey debacle in Round 20 to finish in 11th.

The decision by seven players to boycott the match because they did not want to wear the club’s inclusivity jersey has reportedly split the players while there has also been speculation about whether Daly Cherry-Evans will be retained as captain and if Tom and Jake Trbojevic will see out the remaining four years of their contracts.

All three star players have denied there is trouble in the camp but it all adds to the pressure on Hasler who is at loggerheads with certain sections of the Manly club.

Penn told News Corp that they’d be “happy to extend if we have a clear succession plan”.

“That’s all we have been looking for, as any business would,” he said. “This is the exact discussion we want to have. No one is saying he’s not going to get an extension.”

Sea Eagles legend Geoff Toovey said Hasler is “probably the best fit for the job at the moment”.

New CEO Tony Mestrov played alongside Toovey and Hasler in the 1990s, and Toovey stressed it was important for the new CEO to be given time in the job before any changes were made.

“Maybe he needs to look at the people and systems around him, or management needs to look at them,” he told AAP.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

“Tony Mestrov going in is only a good thing. He’s got a football background. Let’s give him a chance to have a look from the inside, and he will make some recommendations to the board.

“To make any decision or judgement you need to be hands on there, and now that Tony is in there, he will have a look and make some good decisions.”

Toovey was himself sacked by Manly in 2014, after making the grand final the previous season in just his second year as head coach.

A former assistant to Hasler, Toovey conceded the veteran coach would naturally be under pressure after Manly fell from last year’s top four to miss the finals this season.

But he backed the suggestion that any changes should not result in Hasler exiting.

“There is no use throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” Toovey said. “Des has had a history of success with the club.

“With the new CEO getting in there, maybe (Hasler) just needs some help and procedures around to help the situation. I think Tony learnt a lot from Greyhounds NSW (in his previous role), which would have been a tough gig.

“Everyone just needs to take a deep breath and let Tony settle into the job and maybe make some recommendations down the track.”

James Graham understands Murray wanting to play

Former NRL player James Graham appreciates the decision Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray has made to play this weekend, despite suffering yet another head knock in last weeks’ match against the Roosters.Graham sympathised with Murray on his podcast ‘The Bye Round’ explaining that he has been in the same position before.“

I understand why he’s playing because I’ve done that before. So, I get it,” said Graham.“I understand why he’s playing and why he’s willing to go out there with that element of risk. If I believe I’m correct in saying he has gone to an independent doctor to seek clearance, and I understand with that information why you make the decision to undoubtedly play.”

“There is an argument there……. to say that these young men need protection from themselves. But, again, it’s such a complex issue, and I understand why he’s making the decision to play based on the information that he’s got.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“I imagine he’s assessed it and spoke to the doctors that would perhaps say that there’s no unnecessary elevated risks due to how he’s presenting. But it’s still obviously a subject that divides people.

“But I can only say this as a former athlete, being a former NRL player that I understand why he’s playing. I can’t tell you as a medical professional would be able to say here’s why you should or here’s why you shouldn’t – all I can say is I understand why he’s willing to take that risk.”

Graham is also currently working on another podcast with The Australian called ‘Head Noise’ which looks at the effects of concussion. He attended the launch event for the Australian arm of the Concussion Legacy Foundation but was bombarded by columnist Peter FitzSimons who took the opportunity to try and contradict Graham on his past beliefs on head knocks.

“May I ask a question … I think it was on NRL360, you said something like, well look, to not show weakness to the opposition, just to make it look like I didn’t care, and you also said, really strong comments and Benji Marshall was shocked, and you said ‘look, I have to find a purpose in life and maybe to find something worth dying for,” asked FitzSimons.

“You said that you prioritised the present over the future the idea that you went super hard at football now, even if that was going to damage the future. Do you stand by those remarks now?”

“I am not going to betray my former self. That’s who I was,” replied Graham.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Welch won’t risk Achilles in finals

Melbourne prop Christian Welch has revealed just how close he got to returning to play NRL this year from a ruptured Achilles.

The 28-year-old Storm co-captain suffered the injury in the round-one clash with Wests Tigers in March and aimed to be back within five months to boost the team’s depleted stocks in the run to the finals.

“I was looking at the Roosters or Eels, the last two round games. If I had another month I’d be playing but I am just going to miss it,” Welch told AAP.

“I really believed I could get back, but I needed everything to go right.

“I just saw the specialist then and they said, ‘You could be running and playing but you wouldn’t be performing. Particularly with your history with two ACLs, you don’t want to do that’.

“I knew with that added injury risk it was just not worth it with what I would be offering on the field.”

Welch is now targeting a return next year as a better athlete and “not half the athlete I was”.

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