Will Latu Fainu’s heavy ban force Benji Marshall to gamble on rookie?
Wests Tigers rookie Javon Andrews is set to make his NRL debut after Latu Fainu was handed a three-match ban by the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night.
Fainu pleaded not guilty to the controversial charge of third-degree dangerous contact during Saturday’s 32-0 defeat, during which he knocked Canterbury fan Leo Thompson into a dangerous position and caused him to descend.
There was a lot of commentary about the fight and whether Fainu was unlucky to even end up in the sin bin, let alone be blamed.
Stunned Immortal Andrew Johns said on Nine’s: Footy Show on Sunday: “He didn’t do anything wrong, he tackled low. You can’t take accidents out of the game… not even a penalty.”
“You can’t attack high because you’ll jaw them… and you can’t go down? Where are you supposed to hit them?”
NRL lawyer Lachlan Gyles said “this is a very important case because we don’t see interference very often”, adding that “it was like being hit with a blunt instrument”.
Gyles said Thompson was not only at risk of injuring his neck, but there was also a chance of damage to Thompson’s knees.
Fainu’s lawyer, Nick Ghabar, placed the blame on Thompson, saying an “accidental series of events” provoked by the propeller caused him to flip.
Panel members Tony Puletua and Paul Simpkins were convinced it was dangerous and could have caused injury to Thompson’s knee or neck.
Ghabar quickly appealed the rating in the hope of reducing the ban to two matches, but the panel was told Fainu had received two action notices for similar tackles.
While Tigers teammate Adam Doueihi is free to play after his own careless high tackle offense was downgraded in the judiciary earlier in the night, the Fainu suspension means there is a good chance Andrews, 19, will play his first NRL game against the Raiders on Saturday.
Coach Benji Marshall cut to the chase by naming Queensland youngster Andrews’ name on the number 7 jersey for the club’s must-win match in the nation’s capital.
There was speculation that Andrews would be given a taste of first grade if the Tigers lost their next few games and missed the finals for the 15th year in a row.
But defeat at Fainu is likely to force Marshall’s hand and Andrews will have every opportunity to come off the bench and spend time with Doueihi and Parramatta-bound Jarome Luai.
Doueihi, meanwhile, was relieved he was never penalized for his high shot on Dogs forward Harry Hayes.
Doueihi would have risked a two-match suspension if he lost his quest for relegation, but left NRL HQ with a $1,000 fine.
“I love being out there with the boys and helping to turn our season around again; I’ve got the opportunity to go to Canberra, they’re coming off a few wins and we’ll go there with an ambush mentality,” Doueihi said.
Gyles said the power level in Doueihi’s tackle was “medium, not low” and the way he moved quickly off the line meant there was little room to change the tackle target.
Ghabar said Hayes did not require a head injury evaluation and that the contact to the head was with Doueihi’s bicep, not his shoulder. He said the initial contact was also with the legs and torso.
The board agreed that contact with the head was “secondary” and Doueihi attempted to compose himself before attacking Hayes.
Fifita ban adds to Bunnies’ woes
The news for South Sydney got somewhat worse on Tuesday evening after David Fifita failed to get the dangerous contact charge downgraded in the judiciary.
Already without captain Cameron Murray (calf), Tallis Duncan (hamstring) and a clear return date for Latrell Mitchell (calf), the last thing Souths needed was to lose another experienced player like Fifita for Friday’s crucial clash against Melbourne.
Fifita got into hot water after hitting the side of Hudson Young’s head with his boot at half-time last Saturday.
Gyles said the level of carelessness was high and Canberra rower Young had no way of protecting himself.
Ghabar argued the fight was no worse than Tyrell Sloan’s effort against Sam Walker during the 2024 Anzac Day clash. In this incident, St George Illawarra pilot Sloan was hit by a dangerous first contact charge as he attempted to free himself to play the ball.
Ghabar also claimed that Fifita’s actions were not intentional, that his force level was “at the lowest level” and that the referee, linesman and bunker did not see the need to take the matter further during the actual game.
The guilty verdict means Fifita will also have to miss the match against Cronulla in the coming weeks. Tom Fletcher has been named on the bench but is likely to start at the back against the Storm.
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