NRL 2022: Josh Mansour avoids eye gouge charge, Karl Lawton sent off in spiteful match

Karl Lawton’s send off is not the only controversy to have come from the spiteful match between the Rabbitohs and the Sea Eagles on Friday night.

The send-off has divided NRL commentators, with Greg Alexander supporting the call, while Phil Gould was filthy. Picture: Getty Images.

Josh Mansour has avoided an eye gouge charge and been slapped on the wrist with the lesser offence of “unnecessary contact to the face” following an ugly attempt to stop Kieran Foran from scoring a try.

The NRL on Saturday charged Mansour with a Grade 1 Contrary Conduct offence following an incident that occurred during South Sydney’s win over the Sea Eagles on Friday night.

In an act of foul play that came just seven minutes after Manly enforcer Karl Lawton was sent off for a spear tackle, Mansour raked his right hand across Foran’s face while attempting to stop the Sea Eagles playmaker from scoring a try.

While Foran did not complain about the treatment he copped, the NRL fined Mansour $750 after ruling the contact was illegal.

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Josh Mansour avoided being charged with an eye gouge for this action of Kieran Foran.

Occurring in the 16th minute, Mansour came third man in to join Blake Taaffe and Lachlan Illias in what was ultimately a failed attempt to stop Foran from scoring a four-pointer.

Armed with replays of the incident, the NRL match review committee cited Mansour with a Grade 1 Contrary Conduct charge which means he will be free to play next week.

The review committee chose not to charge Mansour with the more serious offence of eye gouging because he was behind Foran and could not see where he was putting his hand.

The fact that no allegation was made may have also worked in Mansour’s favour.

Tevita Tatola was also charged with a Grade 1 Dangerous Contact charge and will be fined $1,000.

‘I GIVE UP’: SEND-OFF DRAMA DIVIDES NRL

Phil Gould has slammed the contentious decision to send Manly Sea Eagle Karl Lawton from the field in a Friday Night Football blockbuster at Gosford, saying: “If that’s your product I give up”.

NRL whistleblowers are once again under the spotlight after referee Grant Atkins dismissed Lawton for a dangerous lifting tackle on South Sydney star Cameron Murray.

The incident — which saw Murray lifted off the ground, twisted awkwardly and then almost dumped on his head — came just nine minutes into a game eventually won by the Rabbitohs 40-22.

Lawton faces a four game ban for the tackle after being charged for a grade three dangerous throw which will mean he misses four games with an early guilty plea. It will be five games if he fights the ban and loses.

However the moment split some of rugby league’s biggest names, with Gould and NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler perplexed by a send off that received overwhelming support from Fox Sports analysts Greg Alexander and Benji Marshall.

Speaking in commentary, both Gould and Fittler panned the dismissal, with the former describing as “extraordinary” the decision to reduce Manly to 12.

Fittler agreed, saying of Lawton: “I can’t believe he’s walking (off) past me”.

Going again, Gould described the Lawton hit as a “momentum tackle” and suggested the Sea Eagles No.11 was “low, where you want him to tackle”.

The send-off has divided NRL commentators, with Greg Alexander supporting the call, while Phil Gould was filthy. Picture: Getty Images.

Fittler added: “I’m with Gus here, I don’t think it deserved a send off”.

However referee Atkins had no hesitation in sending the Sea Eagles No.11 for a tackle that, while Murray appeared to land on his shoulder and back, came within a bee’s appendage of finishing up much, much worse.

Calling the game on Fox Sports, Alexander said: “I thought it was a send off.

“This is the tackle that we want to stamp out.

“And Karl Lawton drove him into the ground head first. Cameron Murray twisted his head and landed on his shoulder, but it could have been a little different.

“I’ve got no argument with it being a send off”

Wests Tigers great Marshall agreed: “It’s an old school spear tackle that we used to see back in the day”.

Social media also lit up with debate over the send off, with many supporting Atkins including NRL Physio Brien Seeney who tweeted: “Severity of injury shouldn’t influence punishment” applies in Lawton’s case, just not in the way those who usually use it intend. Horrible tackle, could’ve been career altering for ball carrier. They are the tackles that need to be harshly punished regardless of injury severity.

Manly will be down to 12 for the rest of the game after Karl Lawton is sent from the field.

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Ironically, the incident comes only days after referee Adam Gee was dropped from first grade after failing to sin bin Roosters winger Daniel Tupou for a high shot on St George Illawarra’s Mikaele Ravalawa on ANZAC Day.

Elsewhere during the broadcast, Fox Sports statistician Aaron Wallace also tweeted that since 2008 there had only been two teams win after having a player sent from the field in the first half – and both of them were named Manly.

The earliest one was the 2008 Sea Eagles, against Canberra.

Then second the second, also involving Manly, was in the famed 2011 Battle of Brookvale – although on that occasion both sides had a player dismissed.

But as for getting the trifecta?

Um, no.

However, despite losing Lawton early, the Sea Eagles actually led 10-2 midway through the first half thanks to back-to-back tries for Kieran Foran and Jason Saab.

Manly also led again 16-12 only moments before the break, when a decision by Sea Eagles pop Marty Taupau to try and pop a pass out the back, coming out of his quarter, proved costly.

Within the next set, and only 60 seconds from halftime, South Sydney centre Isaiah Tass crossed out wide after a shift play to the left.

Yet even while playing all of this one a man short, Manly were still within eight points with 11 minutes to play, and still having a serious crack right up until fulltime.

Manly coach Des Hasler said Karl Lawton was “devastated” to have been sent off during the Sea Eagle’s 40-22 loss to the Rabbitohs at Central Coast Stadium.

Lawton was sent off in just the 9th minute following a dangerous tackle on Souths’ lock Cameron Murray, which saw him land shoulders-first.

Hasler said the tackle was “not a good one” by modern standards.

“He’s devastated, the poor kid. He’s a hard worker, plays the game at pace … he’s got a great temperament – there was no malice in that tackle,” he said.

Hasler said he wasn’t sure a send-off was the correct decision.

“I think maybe the decision could’ve been disputed there. There will be some consequences to face (for Karl) though.”

Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans said the losing Lawton was tough to take.

“In the moment, you’re gutted to be losing a player, but we have the officials there making the decisions for a reason.”

The Rabbitohs ran away with it late, but were almost lucky to come away with the win, despite a one man advantage for 70 minutes. Picture: Getty Images.

Cameron Murray said he didn’t believe the tackle on him that saw Karl Lawton sent from the field was deliberate.

He said the tackle probably “looked worse than it was”.

“It’s lucky I came off not too banged up, so it’s all good.”

Murray said he was lucky to not be injured.

“I don’t even remember (the tackle). It happens so fast … I’m not too sure but I’m lucky I didn’t get hurt.”

BRAVE SEA EAGLES DEFY SEND-OFF DRAMA

—Damien McCartney

Manly’s Karl Lawton will be facing weeks on the sidelines after he was sent off in just the 9th minute of his team’s 40-22 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Lawton was given his marching orders following a terrible tackle on South Sydney lock Cameron Murray, in which he landed well above the horizontal on his shoulders.

The decision drew the ire of pundits, who suggested the send-off decision was too harsh.

ABC sideline reporter Chris Heighington said a sin-bin would’ve been a better option, as the lifting motion was not deliberate.

He said the send-off decision would’ve been influenced by the non-decision on Roosters winger Daniel Tupou for his hit on the Dragons’ Mikaele Ravalawa last week.

Lawton is the second player to be sent from the field this season – Mitch Barnett was sent off during the Knights Rd3 clash against Penrith.

Kieran Foran was a standout for the Sea Eagles, as they fought on bravely after the controversial send-off. Picture: Getty Images.

BUNKER DECISIONS QUESTIONED

It wasn’t the only time the officials put themselves at the centre of attention.

Just minutes after the Lawton send-off, Kieran Foran crossed for the Sea Eagles. The try was awarded on-field, but a Bunker review appeared to show Foran had been held up.

Despite no evidence to suggest the ball had been grounded, the try stood.

WHO’S A MAN DOWN

Despite playing the entire match a man-down, it was difficult to tell at times who had the player advantage. The Bunnies unable to assert themselves on the scoreboard throughout the first half.

In fact, it was Manly who scored the first two tries of the game. A fantastic catch from Alex Johnston was for nought when his teammates coughed up the ball in the next play. Kieran Foran would score in the next set, and when Jason Saab was got his name on the board minutes later, the lead was eight points.

It was a lead the Sea Eagles would hold for most of the first half, before a flurry of tries late on saw the lead change hands several times in the run to half-time.

Milestone man Cody Walker scored a try in his 150th NRL game. Picture: Getty Images.

A FIRE LIT UP

The Rabbitohs came out firing in the second half and looked to blow the Sea Eagles out of Central Coast Stadium. Tries to Tom Burgess, Blake Taaffe and Cody Walker extended the lead to 30-16, before Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans was awarded a penalty try on the hour-mark.

The better part of the next six minutes were spent camped inside the Rabbitoh’s 20 – during which time the Sea Eagles drew two scrums, a set restart and a drop-out – but were unable to score.

It proved to be a last gasp for the Sea Eagles, who quickly started to run out of puff. The counter attack from the Rabbitohs saw a try to Cameron Murray – having passed a HIA unsurprisingly ordered following the Lawton tackle – and Taaffe subsequent conversion extend the lead to 14.

Campbell Graham put the cherry on the Rabbitoh’s second half performance with a try on full time.

Though Manly were stout in their defence, the task of playing 70 minutes a man down proved too much.

Originally published as NRL 2022: Josh Mansour avoids eye gouge charge, Karl Lawton sent off in spiteful match