The kind of foul play we saw on Sunday when Jared Waerea-Hargreaves slammed Tom Burgess’ head into the Allianz Stadium turf is exactly what you get as a sport when you use a feather touch on thugs.
NRL players have taken note of the leniency for cheap shots this season and when you combine it with the pressure of an elimination final between clubs with more than a century of animosity, nobody should be surprised by both teams pushing the limits of thuggery and skullduggery.
They see someone like Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona escape suspension all year long and only cop fines despite being charged five times and avoiding any repercussions for a couple of incidents which left Warriors hooker Wayde Egan with cracked teeth and Joseph Suaalii lucky not to have suffered a broken jaw.
Waerea-Hargreaves was lauded by his coach, teammates, fans and certain sections of the media for standing up to Asofa-Solomona in the Round 24 win in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago.
You can see why he would feel he’s got a licence to do whatever is needed on the field to ensure his team is not intimidated through the middle of the ruck.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Burgess is cut from a similar cloth and he had been sailing close to the wind with a couple of high shots in the first half on James Tedesco, which ruled the Roosters skipper out for the rest of the game, and Matt Lodge.
It was a clear attempt at retribution by JWH. If the refs are only going to use the sin bin and not send anyone off, it’s a risk worth taking.
The veteran Rooster now faces the prospect of missing three World Cup matches for the Kiwis while Burgess, for the hit on Tedesco which somehow did not result in a sin-binning, is staring down the barrel of a two-game ban as the Bunnies prepare for Saturday’s Semi-Final showdown with the Sharks.
If the bans for these repeat offenders were doubled to four and six respectively, that’d be a more appropriate result.
Waerea-Hargreaves is hoping a Kiwis’ warm-up game against Leeds will be included in his ban which would mean he would only miss pool matches against Jamaica and Lebanon before suiting up against Ireland before the quarter-finals.
Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou was spot on in his post-match media conference when he questioned the professionalism of any player who head slams an opponent.
It’s the kind of act which deserves to be ranked down there with insidious acts like eye gouging, biting and stomping which, apart from rare instances, have all but been abolished from the game.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
“We’re talking about concussions as a serious part of our game and we’re talking about referees and the game as whole doing things to make sure we’re protecting the players but if a player wants to hold somebody who’s defenceless and slam their head into the ground, where’s the responsibility coming back on the player?” Demetriou said.
“I just think it’s an ordinary act and I think the game has to come down on it. They know what they’re doing. You know what you’re doing when you’re slamming a bloke’s head in the ground and I just think as a player, you’ve got to have some respect for the opposition. If you don’t, who are you?
“It’s not just the Roosters, it’s across the board, it’s happening,” he added, without mentioning Asofa-Solomona by name. He didn’t have to.
“Tom’s a big man but everybody saw how bad he got out of that tackle and I’m not just saying it just for Tom but for all players, to take a look at how we look after each other is important.”
NRL head of football Graham Annesley quite rightly backed the referees for the way they handled the chaos on Sunday, laying the blame at the feet of the players.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
He said the officials were the only ones who were in control and praised them for “staying the course” by continuing to put players in the bin.
“Clearly a lack of discipline by the players,” he replied when asked at his Monday afternoon media conference why there was a record seven sin-binnings. “The match officials react to what happens.
“Our objective is to try to keep everyone on the field but that’s not in the hands of the match officials, that’s in the hands of the players and how they approach the game and yesterday we saw a whole range of incidents that took place where players frankly took those decisions out of the hands of the referees and the bunker.
“It was disappointing that we saw as many incidents as we did and to the credit of the coaches, they didn’t try to switch attention to the match officials.
“Players know where that line in the sand is about compliance with the rules and what’s acceptable and what’s not. And yesterday on multiple occasions they crossed that line. That’s not the fault of the referees, that’s not the fault of the bunker, nor the touch judges, that’s the actions of the players.”
It’s not too far-fetched for fans to think the prevalence in seemingly deliberate acts which cause damage to an opponent’s head is a way to force them off for, at the very least, an HIA, which disrupts the opposition team’s interchange rotation even if the victim passes the test.
The independent doctor in the bunker is frequently, and rightfully, ordering anyone off who could be suffering from a concussion. It’s not difficult to see how some fans think teams are looking to get any benefit they can and if they can force a player off for an HIA with a sneaky act which doesn’t warrant a sin bin, then they could indeed employ such an underhanded tactic.
Paul Gallen takes on the Titans defence for Cronulla in 2008. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Premiership-winning Sharks skipper Paul Gallen was in hot water in 2008 when footage showed him sticking his fingers inside the bandage of Titans forward Anthony Laffranchi, trying to reopen a head wound. Basically, he was trying to exploit the rule which forced players off if they were bleeding.
It would be a sad day for rugby league if players are engaging in similar tactics because of the automatic substitution rules in place for concussions.
Which is why Demetriou’s plea for professionalism is salient.
The NRL players, for the most part, are a brotherhood off the field, represented by an official union which is much stronger than past versions of the RLPA.
If you head slam your brother, even if they’re wearing different colours, you shouldn’t be allowed in the family.
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Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
I'd argue Burgess' high shots either slid up off the ball / shoulder or the player ducking a bit just prior to impact, so Burgess needs to lower his tackle height. JWH's shot was pre meditated thuggery and deliberate. Not the 1st time boofheads like him have done it, and with the NRL's attitude towards it (hmmm - not good for the fans), she's gunna keep happening
Womblat
Guest
And you'd never have anyone play the sport again. Ridiculous. If you'd ever played the game you'd know how stupid that is.
Laurian
Guest
The only problem I see with just suspending players is that the players still get paid no matter what. I suggest suspensions (which will make coaches and clubs change a player's behaviour) plus realistic fines such as 10% of a player's yearly contract for the first offence and then doubling it for subsequent offences.
Laurian
Guest
The problem as I see it rest fairly on the shoulders of the NRL. They set the rules and they MUST tell the referees that their job is to referee the game according to the rules (which need to be Black & White) and not to interpret the rules the way they like to. All teams need to know that they will be refereed the same no matter which referee is adjudicating the game. It is simple - You hit a guy in the head you need to be in the bin for the same duration that the guy has gone off for a HIA assessment. In terms of punishment, we need to be tough to make sure players and clubs abide by them. Penalties for foul play should be a lot tougher. Players need to be both fined heavily and stood down for games. Standing down players for games does not change the behaviour of a player because he still gets paid no matter what. For that reason, you need to fine them a percentage of their salary 5% first offence, 10% second offence, 20% third offence etc. They will soon change their habit. Standing down a player makes clubs think twice about the way they coach players and get them to act on the field. We also need commentators such as Gould, Fittler, Alexander and Johns to stop looking for excuses for players such as "it was only a slight tap not a full punch". If your clenched fist comes into contact with a player's face, you need to be sent to the bin, no matter how hard it was. These commentators are one-eyed and are bringing the game into disrepute. The Cowboys vs Sharks game was a fantastic game to watch because the players came to play football not to be thugs. Yes, League and Union are contact sports and there will be injuries. As long as these happen within the rules of the sport, people will be understand. Let's clean up the game starting with the administrators.
SPM
Roar Rookie
Clearly an expert referee the NRL should offer you a job befitting such wise and unbiased expertise. As the coaches and now several of the players have stated it was not the fault of the officials but that of the players that the game descended. To blame one incident as the catalyst is both short cited and and narrow minded. You might as well have blamed the media for all the pre game hype. The officials play a part in the sum of the game but the players are and always will be the largest part of that sum and therefore shape the way the game is played. As I said previously the circumstances of what happened to Teddy happens regularly over a season and doesn’t result in the rest of the player group to shift into a bunch of vigilante’s. It was one decision in a thousand others I don’t believe a reasonable person could pin the outcomes of this game on just one.
Poss
Roar Rookie
There was a fair few cheap & reckless shots on Roosters players too Chris,or did that just slip your mind? :thumbdown:
Poss
Roar Rookie
Absolutely Freddy,if I was Demetriou I'd be trying to get the milking out of their game,how blatant was "Trell-milk" as he wants to be named now the NRL has played right into their hands to allow them to do it,once the bunkers bought in,Mitchell more or less admitted it..He was pretty confident he was going to get the penalty when he knelt down on one knee & put the ball down..The interview Mitchell gave was an absolute disgrace embarrassing to say the least..
Muzz
Guest
I am right. I'd expect JWH to be sin binned if he hit Mitchell in the same manner Burgess hit Tedesco high. Klein failing to act on that incident and march Burgess was the catalyst that turned the game into a dogs breakfast.
SPM
Roar Rookie
You might be right, however; JWH and VR don’t automatically get the right to correct that decision and further escalate already high emotions. I think if you look back over the season a number of these tackles have occurred with a penalty awarded and the tackled placed on report and the tackled player has left the field for HIA and not returned without the so called enforcers of that side taking matters into their own hands. But on this instance very little attention/criticism is levelled at JWH and VR and their actions/contributions it’s all TBs fault and that is nothing short of BS as was it not the refs fault either. Based on the above argue that that sending TB to the bin would have prevented the JWH head-slam, I could argue this ineffective as sending VR to the bin for his sneaky rabbit punch did little to calm or settle players nor did the other six included the JWH one. Maybe suspension of JWH for this type of tackle in the past might have had him adjust his tackling technique which seems to frequently involve working on his opponent’s head even after the tackle is complete.
SPM
Roar Rookie
Then make it a percentage
Freddy is king
Roar Rookie
Demetriou was disingenuous in the press conference. To claim Burgess should be fined and then carrying on about JWH was a pretty pathetic effort. Typical coach deflecting blame again.
Freddy is king
Roar Rookie
Gee got red and green goggles on there Chris. I agree with the head slam being a cheap shot and he deservedly got three weeks but…. what nothing to look at in Burgess shot on Tedesco Chris? Spare me. The MRC gave him 2 weeks so they disagreed with you.That shot was designed to hurt Teddy but hey let’s throw all the stones at JWH.
JennyFromPenny
Guest
Please don't call yourselves masters of baiting. That would make you, well..
Freddy is king
Roar Rookie
At least Robbo was honest in the Press Conference. Demetriou basically said that Souths player offences were only worthy of fines, despite Burgess taking Tedesco out - a really pathetic one sided disingenuous response.
JennyFromPenny
Guest
I really hope things just settle themselves down for the next fortnight, that we see some good footy, and may the best team on the day win. The high tackles are really bad, but what is ruining the game more than this, is the feigning of injury. Jahrome Hughes for eg this week almost needs a neck brace + medicab, but is back running around like a march hare 15min later. You have to wonder. It really is no joke that feigning injury could become so important that the diver will soon be winning their team the GF, as well as claiming the MVP medal.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
I appreciate the breakdown Jenny :thumbup: Certainly the NRL need to look at more appropriate punishment, especially for repetitive offenders.
JennyFromPenny
Guest
Pre-covid, says it was around $30k per player, per game (90k for a series), then NRL went broke next couple of years and dropped to a $10k, per game, but now back to $20k per game. Fines this year were in the order of $600-$700 of the $20k free money they were given to represent.
JennyFromPenny
Guest
What was far more ludicrous was the Origin series which annually went light on the high tackle, and simultaneously went light on foul play. If severe enough was only to amount to a slight reduction in their respresentative fee, equivalent to an amex surcharge - 2-3 % the last I was aware it was around $50k per player, per match. The careless player is almost obliged to "not care less" if a small amount got NRL-taxed. It was bonus money anyway.
Muzz
Guest
The head slam would'e been avoided if Klein sent Burgess to the Bin for the Tedesco high shot. The referee lost control of the game at that moment. Players got frustrated, things escalated and they took matters into their own hands. Do we want to watch good footy or players losing control and focusing on smashing their opponent? Refs need to be tough early in the game!
Tim J
Roar Rookie
I have noticed that, part of the reason I threw the bait out hoping get a lot bites.. :thumbup: