Two Wests Tigers players face bans as reason for Alex Twal’s post-match run-in with Bulldog Josh Curran revealed
Alex Twal was so angry following Saturday night’s game between the Wests Tigers and the Bulldogs that he refused to shake hands with Canterbury forward Josh Curran following a 70th-minute incident.
Following their fifth successive defeat, the NRL match review committee inflicted further pain on the Tigers on Sunday, with playmakers Latu Fainu and Adam Doueihi facing suspensions.
Twal let his emotions boil over in the 70th minute when he attacked Bulldog Jaeman Salmon with a left hand. Twal was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes and Salmon later admitted there was some “theatrics” involved in his rapid fall to the ground.
In the final minute of the game, Twal tackled Salmon when he returned from the bin, but Curran objected. Twal and Curran then confronted each other and had to separate.
While Twal, 30, shook hands with Salmon after the match, it was a different story when Curran smiled and high-fived him.
TV cameras captured Twal chest-thumping Curran and muttering some words before being escorted off the field by Tigers staff member and former player Tim Grant.
Sources with knowledge of the post-match incident who were not authorized to speak publicly said they were proud of the emotion Twal showed rather than disappointed in his lack of sportsmanship.
“Would you rather see Twal suffer like this or have the players pat each other on the back and laugh after a loss?” The club source said.
Twal was given the option to stay off the field at the end of his 10-minute stint in the sin-bin. The Bulldogs had already set the game upbut he wanted to go back to finish off with his “brothers”.
Asked about the option of keeping Twal out of the match – especially after he was jeered by Canterbury fans when he returned from the bin and even made the Arabic “khawd” hand gesture by a few Bulldogs fans – Tigers coach Benji Marshall said: “I thought 30 seconds was plenty of time to avoid getting into further trouble.
“What I like about ‘Twally’ is that he loves the club, he is passionate and he cares about the result.
“You don’t see his frustrations very often. It’s a reflection of how many of us are feeling at the moment and as a club. It’s difficult at the moment.”
Twal was charged with misconduct by the match review committee on Sunday but could get away with a fine.
However, Fainu, who was sent to the sin bin for putting Leo Thompson in a dangerous position and making low dangerous contact, was hit with a third degree dangerous contact charge and faced a two-match ban with an early plea.
Doueihi also faces a game on the bench to fire a high shot at Harry Hayes.
The double-half blow could force Marshall to step up plans to blood young gun Javon Andrews against Canberra next weekend.
The embarrassing defeat to the Bulldogs capped a week of horror for the Tigers, who confirmed marquee man Jarome Luai will leave the club a season early to link up with Parramatta. Luai tried hard against the Dogs but struggled to make an impact.
The Tigers play the Raiders in Canberra next Saturday. The Raiders lost star Hudson Young to a season-ending Achilles injury in their 34-24 win over South Sydney on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Salmon downplayed the incident with Twal.
“It was just a little pushing and shoving; I may have gotten under his skin a little bit,” Salmon said.
“I’ve never actually thought about punching; I’m not much of a fighter.
“It didn’t hurt too much. There’s some theater in it [falling down]But what happens on the field stays on the field. ‘Twally’ is a good man.
“It was just a spur of the moment thing. I shook hands.” [with Twal].”
