NRL 2021: Is banned Bulldog Jack Hetherington unfairly targeted by referees?
Jack Hetherington is in danger of being rubbed out of the NRL by referees who are now treating him on reputation.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Bulldogs enforcer Jack Hetherington is in danger of being rubbed out of the NRL by referees who are now treating him on reputation, with his latest high shot charge branded “ridiculous”.
No stranger to the NRL judiciary, Hetherington is looking at up to three weeks on the sidelines after being charged with a Careless High Tackle on Alex Twal during Sunday’s loss against Wests Tigers.
With four similar offences in the past two years, the Canterbury prop will miss two weeks with an early plea or three weeks if he fights the charge at the judiciary and fails.
However on Monday, Kangaroos great Steve Roach suggested the 25-year-old was being unfairly targeted by NRL match officials because of his “reputation” as a rugby league bad boy.
Watch new FOX SPORTS Original Production ‘Wild Wests: Tales from Tiger Town’ four-part docu-series on Kayo >
Roach, who was calling the game live for Fox Sports, added that if Hetherington’s tackle had been made by any other player, they would not have even been sin binned.
“I think it’s ridiculous to tell you the truth,” Roach said of the young Bulldog being potentially being sidelined for a fortnight over the Twal shot.
“Two weeks for that tackle? Please.
“At the time it happened, I was surprised Jack even got sin binned.
“I know they’ve cracked down on high shots this year, but in the weeks following Magic Round – which was absolute mayhem – they seemed to have eased back on the penalties.
“But unfortunately for Jack, he’s got a reputation. He’s been a little over the top in previous years and now he’s suffering for that.
“Suffering for being him.
“He’s got a black mark against his name and they (referees) are looking for him.”
Speaking after the game, Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett agreed, stating that while Hetherington’s tackle technique needed to be looked at, “I didn’t think it deserved 10 minutes”.
Fox League commentator Warren Smith also suggested during his call that Hetherington’s well-documented history had led to referee Chris Butler sending him to the sin bin.
“I’ve got no doubt that is Jack Hetherington’s reputation coming back to haunt him,” Smith said.
“Any other player there is no way that result is given … nobody else goes to the sin bin for that. But Hetherington - he brings a lot of baggage to the game with him every week, doesn’t he?
“And I think that reputation has hurt him right there.”
Worse for the Bulldogs, fellow prop Dylan Napa is also facing up to four weeks on the sidelines for two incidents against the Tigers - dangerous contact on James Tamou and a careless high tackle on Thomas Mikaele.
Should Napa take the early guilty plea he will miss three games, but risks a month off he fights the charges and is unsuccessful.
Earlier this season Hetherington was suspended for five weeks for a grade three careless high tackle on North Queensland’s Valentine Holmes.
Then in his return game, he was charged again for a careless high tackle that cost him a $3050 fine.
Playing with the Warriors last year, Hetherington was also sidelined for a month following a high shot on Manly Sea Eagles rival Marty Taupau – part of a rap sheet that has seen him suspended six times, for 15 weeks.
“But I really feel sorry for Jack,” Roach continued. “Because it’s unfair to (penalise) a bloke on his past.
“We have to be careful we don’t rub an aggressive player like him out of the game.
“Rugby league is a collision sport. There are going to be accidents.
“And maybe Jack does have to bend his back a little in defence, but don’t take his playing style away.
“Don’t try and turn him into a church mouse.
“Because the game is supposed to be for everyone.
“We aren’t supposed to all look the same, play the same.”
Roach added that Hetherington what be one of the players who benefited most from Canterbury’s strong signing spree for 2022.
“Jack Hetherington is a great player,” the Balmain great continued.
“And right now, he’s out there trying to make a difference for his team.
“So I think he will be better next year when he has a lot of better players around him. I think that will really help his game because he won’t feel like he has to set the standard all the time.”
MATCH REPORT: errors mar Tigers-Bulldogs blunder-a-thon
By Martin Gabor
Wests Tigers fans can breathe a little easier after their side defeated wooden-spoon certainties the Bulldogs 28-16 in a rollercoaster performance that could’ve been shifted from Cbus Super Stadium to one of the Gold Coast’s many theme parks.
The result eases pressure on Michael Maguire who has been feeling the heat since last week’s capitulation against the Warriors, but he would have been hoping for something more emphatic against a team that has picked up just two wins all year.
Watch The 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
“It was a scrappy win,” Maguire said.
“But getting two points, especially after the last couple of weeks where we showed signs and let things go, it was good to see the boys dig in and get to the end of the game.
“As scrappy as it was, they know they can be a lot better.”
The frustrating thing for their followers is they know there’s potential. They handed the Panthers their first loss of the season and took the Rabbitohs to golden point but the only consistent thing this year has been their inconsistency.
Some of their players looked great on Sunday, but at other times they came up with schoolboy errors.
Luciano Leilua dropped the ball in the first set but responded to open the scoring.
Moses Mbye inexplicably put a foot in touch when the ball was going out but then played long to set up Ken Maumalo. He kicked out on the full but also looked threatening through the middle. This was all in the first half.
Maumalo put down a simple bomb but scored two powerful first-half tries, including a spectacular leap through the air to ground a Luke Brooks crossfield kick.
And Brooks? He played like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders; an unfair situation he’s found himself in with his future still up in the air.
He nailed his first 40/20 of the year but then threw a forward pass two plays later. He knocked on with his very next touch, but shrugged it off to set up Maumalo’s second try of the afternoon.
No-one is expecting perfection from these players because they’re not robots. But when you see what they’re capable of, it’s hard to explain the errors.
The fluctuations are what you see in petrol prices before a public holiday, not from a rugby league team. It’s why they’re only a mathematical chance to play finals footy, but at least they’re doing a whole lot better than the Bulldogs.
“If we build on this week then anything can happen in the game,” Maguire replied when asked about his side’s finals chances.
CONSERVATIVE VIEWS
There’s a fine line between playing conservatively and being downright negative.
The Bulldogs had pulled within six points after Corey Waddell’s try late in the first half. They worked it beyond halfway from the next set, but instead of chancing their arm, Jake Averillo dribbled the ball into touch.
There were about 30 seconds to go at that stage, and it was highly unlikely that the Tigers would punish them if they got the ball back. Surely the better play would have been to send the ball sky high to see if they could get lucky.
It typified their safety-first approach which seemed odd against a team that is struggling for confidence.
When they did use the ball, Nick Meaney and Averillo combined for a lovely try through the middle. Unfortunately, it was a rare highlight.
The cattle won’t get better until next year, but the Bulldogs need to be a bit more adventurous in the final month of the season and they can start by picking and sticking in the spine.
“We had our chances to still win the game … but you can’t win football games making errors and having individuals making ill-disciplined decisions,” Trent Barrett said.
Jack Hetherington has been sent to the bin.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 8, 2021
🈠#NRLBulldogsTigers
📠BLOG https://t.co/9reL6f7SbG
📺 WATCH https://t.co/LOJmFILT1Q
📲 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/c9h1M7S5F1pic.twitter.com/lTBeEtGcvD
Does Maguire’s optimism beggar belief?
A resolute Michael Maguire believes Wests Tigers can defy a season of pain and still make the playoffs.
Last week’s 18-16 loss to a makeshift Warriors side has put the club’s finals hopes on life support and the nature of the loss, typified by the Tigers failing to get someone to dummy half during a final attacking raid, seemed to put the final nail in the coffin.
But Maguire, who has come under pressure for the club’s struggles this year, refuses to give up on ending the joint venture’s decade-long finals drought.
“The competition is wide open. Last week would have been handy but this is another week where if we take some harsh lessons from last week about not completing at certain times, or kicking the ball into the corners and creating pressure.
“If we do that this week we can get a really positive outcome.
“I go back through the season, I’ve seen some really good passages of play – against St George, Penrith, Newcastle, we’ve had some really good performances of long periods of playing the style which we want.
“But there’s plenty of footy to be played and I’m a big believer if your group comes together in the right manner with belief about each other you can create what you like to create.”
While Maguire’s belief is admirable, the Tigers are up against it – even with a win over Canterbury on Sunday the club’s chances of making the finals are fast becoming purely theoretical.
Maguire also shut down talk of Aaron Woods potentially returning to the club amid rumours the Cronulla prop had been sounded out for a homecoming.
Woods, a Leichardt junior, played 146 matches for the Tigers from 2011 to 2017 and spent several seasons as captain.
“I reckon you guys would be half a chance of getting a contract here at the moment with everyone who gets linked to our club,” Maguire said.
“At the moment, for myself it’s about coaching this group and building a real belief with what we’re doing.
“We’re not satisfied with what’s going on in the results department but we’ve got to look at the things we can do on the field.”
Barrett reveals way back for Flanagan
Kyle Flanagan still has a future at the Bulldogs with coach Trent Barrett declaring the ousted No. 7 is in his plans at Canterbury.
On the eve of unleashing his latest playmaker Bailey Biondi-Odo, Barrett revealed he has given Flanagan a road map for making it back into the NRL.
Flanagan’s future as a Bulldog was put under a heavy cloud last week when he was dropped for the third time since switching from the Roosters.
“He is still part of the squad and he will continue to train hard,” Barrett said.
“There are some things that he needs to work on and is aware of. We will continue to support him. It is not easy for any player being in and out of the team and he is not the only one. It happens when you are not getting results.”
Barrett was adamant that Flanagan could return to the NRL.
“Yeah definitely,” the coach said. “He is only young. He is a young player and all young players go through ups and downs, especially the halves.
“There is a lot of pressure that goes with that position and it has always been that way.”
While he has not ruled out bringing Flanagan back, Barrett also suggested that Biondi-Odo could become his long-term No.7.
“We just need him to play his role,” Barrett said of Biondi-Odo.
“He is a good little player and a natural half. He has grown up playing No. 6 and No. 7 his whole life. He has done a good job for us off the bench at hooker over the last few weeks. He has certainly provided a little spark.”
The Bulldogs are not expecting miracles from the teenage sensation, who at just 19 could still play Jersey Flegg.
“We don’t want to put a lot of pressure on the kid,” Barrett said.
“But I am confident he will do a job. He has trained really well and the players enjoy playing with him. They get a lot of confidence from him.
“It has been a big effort from him because he has had limited opportunities and football over the last couple of years with Covid. The Flegg and the junior reps have been cut short so he hasn’t played. But now he gets his chance and I think he will do well.”
Barrett is expecting Biondi-Odo to be just as explosive in an 80-minute performance after exploding onto the NRL scene from the bench.
“He won’t be playing in the middle third of the field so you will see the same spark,” Barrett said. “The defensive work he does at seven won’t be as big as what he had to do in the middle. But the learning curve for both Bailey and Jake Averillo, I am not expecting them to come out and play like Johnathan Thurston and Benji Marshall.”
More Coverage
Originally published as NRL 2021: Is banned Bulldog Jack Hetherington unfairly targeted by referees?
Gus’ ‘doctored’ claim ignites NRL conspiracy
The NRL Grand Final’s controversial no try scandal has taken a wild turn despite the game releasing the angle the decision was based on.
Kangaroos selection shocks: NRL legends’ Test careers appear over
Mal Meninga has dropped a major selection bombshell by overlooking both James Tedesco and Kalyn Ponga for Kangaroos selection, with the list of surprise omissions and debutants not ending there. See the full squad.