Injured Eels winger holds no grudge towards Wests Tigers winger Luke Laulilli
Updated ,first published
Unlucky Parramatta three-quarterback Bailey Simonsson says he has “no hard feelings” towards Luke Laulilii for the tackle that ended his season and has conveyed those feelings to the Wests Tigers winger to ensure he does not feel responsible for what he described as an “accident”.
Laulilii received a one-match ban for an aerial tackle that left Simonsson with a serious ankle injury.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall and his team-mates said Laulilii did not deserve to be sent off for his effort against Simonsson, with the pair tackling the ball approaching the hour mark during Monday’s golden point saga. Tigers won 22-20.
Speaking from his hospital bed at Norwest Private Hospital on Tuesday morning, Simonsson said he bore no ill will towards Laulilii regarding the incident.
“This is the game we play, it comes with risk,” Simonsson told this imprint.
“No bad feelings, it’s an accident. Shit happens in football.”
“I reached out to a few kids I know on the Tigers to make sure he wasn’t feeling bad.
“I didn’t want him to think it was his fault, an accident… I didn’t see it as a foul, it’s just one of them.
“I could easily be the person in his position on the other side of the ball. There are no hard feelings. It is what it is.”
Simonsson, whose season is over, is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday afternoon. While his absence will further test the depth of a squad ravaged by injuries, the former Raider is backing the Eels to overcome the disruption.
“Gives opportunities, Apa [Twidle] He came in last night and did really well,” Simonsson said. “It’s nice to give someone else a chance.”
Simonsson suffered a dislocated ankle and was carried off the field on the back of a paramedic and then taken to hospital.
“I wasn’t into it, it’s that simple,” Marshall said Monday night about the sins being thrown away.
“If it [Simonsson] “Would there have been the same result if he hadn’t been injured?”
Tigers back Sunia Turuva said of the incident: “To be honest, I didn’t think there was much to it. They both went up to race and collided in the air. Luke saw him catch the ball and put his arm out. I would have done the same. It was an unfortunate situation.”
The match review committee issued a second-degree dangerous contact charge Monday night; This means 19-year-old Laulilii will miss the second-third match against Newcastle at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday.
This suspension will be little consolation for the Eels, who have lost Simonsson and Isaiah Iongi (ankle) for eight weeks. J’maine Hopgood (knee) for the season in consecutive weeks as a result of foul play.
Laulilii, Penrith’s Mitch Kenny and St George Illawarra Ryan CouchmanThree players charged with related offenses will miss a total of six matches.
Parramatta coach Jason Ryles said none of the tackles were intentional, “but there is a reason these actions are illegal, [and it is] because of what we are going through right now.”
Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos spoke to this imprint last week about the idea: Salary cap exemption provided to clubs In case players are away from the field for a long time as a result of foul play.
Ryles had already asked club officials to ask the NRL if this was an option and said “it would certainly be something worth considering”. [if it is] foul play, season-ending injury; “I think common sense will prevail.”
Simonsson posted a photo of himself in hospital late on Monday with the caption: “One’s football has its ups and downs. Nothing I haven’t faced before. I’ll come back better than before, I’ll have surgery tonight and recover tomorrow.”
Eels center Sean Russell will also be out with a concussion (he was fined $750 for hitting Heamasi Makasini high in the incident that injured him), while Jonah Pezet has a hamstring issue. Ryles said Russell had a better chance of playing than Pezet ahead of Sunday’s game against Gold Coast.
For the Tigers, Starford To’a (foot) was listed to play in reserve grade on Monday and is an option at outside backs due to Laulilii’s ineligibility, while Taylan May (shoulder) is close to a return but will not be ready for the Knights. Marshall also confirmed Jarome Luai is unlikely to return from his knee injury.
Turuva, meanwhile, described the moment Eels full-back Joash Papalii stood next to him and screamed in his face when the center made contact during an often emotional tackle.
Turuva said, “Something happened between us at the beginning of the game.”
“When we scored I got into him, I kept going a little bit more, so when he got into the tackle they took me out he stuck with me. I was fair to him. It was good. These Easter clashes can be fiery.”
