Wests Tigers’ Jock Madden will miss a week due to a concussion. Here’s why the NRL had no issue with the tackle
When does a defender deserve to be sent to the sin bin for an accidental headbutt?
That will be a question Wests Tigers fans and coach Benji Marshall have every right to ask after Dolphins forward Morgan Knowles escaped any sanctions for head-on contact on Saturday and was cleared of any wrongdoing by the match review committee on Sunday.
Knowles collided with Tigers halfback Jock Madden midway through the first half on Saturday. Dolphins won 36-22.
The game was stopped and Tigers players waited for referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski to call a penalty as replays were projected onto the big screen at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. If Przeklasa-Adamski was satisfied with the call, the dugout would have enough time to step in and send Knowles to the dumpster.
“There needs to be high contact there because it [Madden] “He’s got a cut on his head,” Balmain legend and Fox Sports commentator Steve Roach said during the live TV broadcast.
There have already been several similar incidents this season where players have been sent to the sin bin for accidental clashes of heads.
The same thing happened to the Dolphins on Anzac Day when Tom Flegler was scrapped after colliding with Warriors center Ali Leiataua. Flegler was not charged the next day.
In other cases, there is no reference to the actors at all. Victor Radley’s famous clash of heads with Brisbane’s Pat Carrigan. After escaping any punishment, the Sydney Roosters forward asked: “Really? Is this an April Fool’s joke?”
Marshall was unable to explain the video officials’ inaction, saying after the game: “I don’t know what the dugout allowed and what he wasn’t allowed to do anymore. I’m not sure.”
NRL sources with knowledge of the situation, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said there were a number of reasons why Knowles was not punished or charged and that accidental head clashes did not result in players being automatically sent to the sin bin.
The first reason Knowles had nothing to worry about was that he made a genuine attempt to tackle Madden, including a wrapping move with his arms.
There were also “no shots fired outside the defensive line” or any arm or shoulder contact to Madden’s head.
Although there was contact to the head, the same sources said that it was accidental and definitely not carelessness or carelessness.
The Tigers’ form playmaker this season, Adam Doueihi, is not certain to return for the club’s tough trip to Newcastle next Sunday. Doueihi is struggling with a shoulder injury and will need to pass a series of tests before being cleared to join Jarome Luai in the halves.
The Dolphins have won seven in a row and I’d like to welcome them back to the Origin squad when they host the Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
