NRL judiciary 2021: Latrell Mitchell’s four-week suspension stands, Paul Momirovksi out, Victor Radley cleared
South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell’s dream of a Dally M medal is in tatters after a NRL judiciary decision — a verdict which has left rugby league great Phil Gould seething.
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Latrell Mitchell’s hopes of a Dally M medal have been dashed after the South Sydney superstar failed in his bid to have a grade two dangerous contact charge downgraded at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night.
Under the NRL’s rules a player who is suspended for more than two weeks is ineligible to win the game’s highest individual award.
Mitchell, who is leading the Dally M count on 13 points, wasn’t able to convince the judiciary panel of Bob Lindner, Ben Creagh and Dallas Johnson that contact made with the head of Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma warranted a lesser charge.
Speaking after the 50 minute hearing, Rabbitohs head of football Mark Ellison said Mitchell was “disappointed” with Tuesday night’s outcome.
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“The big thing about is, he’s the Dally M leader at the moment and the crowds aren’t going to see him for four matches which is sad for the game and unfortunately for him, but we’ll move on,” Ellison said.
Rugby league great Phil Gould blasted the verdict.
“If Latrell Mitchell deserves 4 weeks on the sideline for that incident, I am an astronaut,” Gould tweeted.
“This game just keeps finding ways to make a fool of itself.
“Really? 4 weeks? So Latrell was 4 weeks worse than Radley? I must be from another planet.”
If Latrell Mitchell deserves 4 weeks on the sideline for that incident, I am an astronaut. This game just keeps finding ways to make a fool of itself. Really? 4 weeks? So Latrell was 4 weeks worse than Radley? I must be from another planet. Goodnight all. I’ve had enough.
— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) April 20, 2021
The four-week ban is also a huge hit to Mitchell’s chances of re-claiming a spot in Brad Fittler’s NSW Blues side, after the fullback missed last year’s series.
The NRL’s counsel Peter McGrath successfully argued that Mitchell had shown a lack of duty of care to Nofoaluma during last Saturday night’s clash.
Mitchell shook his head at McGrath’s suggestion and at times motioned in confusion to Ellison at different times during the hearing.
“There was a very very high lack of care, a lack of duty of care, that Mitchell owes the player [Nofoaluma] in that situation,” McGrath argued.
“[Mitchell] turns his back, he’s not attempting a tackle … you’ll see two things, he jumps and at the same time turns his back and twists and pushes and throws his arm out in the direction of Nofoaluma. Mitchell is highly careless because he is throwing that left arm out at the level of Nofoaluma’s head … the impact that is such that he is immediately knocked off balance and thrown to the ground.”
Mitchell’s counsel Nick Ghabar tried to argue that Mitchell had “10th of second” to make a split decision as Nofoaluma made a beeline for the fullback in what was potentially a try scoring situation.
Ghabar also said Mitchell had merely “brushed” Nofoaluma on the head.
“A desperate situation where Mitchell is going his best in an evolving situation … where there is an imminent probability of a try being scored, unlike Friend who had time and no urgency to make contact with the player. Mitchell had to make an immediate decision, which was to turn and prop himself [for contact].
“Mitchell could not have foreseen where contact would have been made on Nofoaluma.”
Alex Johnston is the man most likely to replace Mitchell at the back over the next month with Jaxson Paulo to come in on the edge.
Prior to Tuesday night’s judiciary hearing, Mitchell accepted two $1600 fines for dangerous and for contrary conduct over incidents involving Wests Tigers forward Luke Garner.
Mitchell was slapped with a dangerous contact and a fine for sliding with his knees into Garner as the Tigers forward grounded the ball in the 44th minute of last Saturday’s match.
The other incident occurred in the 63rd minute and again involved Garner. This time Mitchell was charged with contrary conduct and fined for appearing to lash out with his boot after being tackled by Garner.
Leading into Tuesday night’s judiciary, a frustrated South Sydney released images to highlight the inconsistency of the Match Review Committee when charging players for similar incidents.
The Rabbitohs pointed to three separate incidents during round six where no charges were laid against Newcastle’s Mitch Barnett and Gold Coast’s Jonus Pearson.
Both Barnett and Pearson appeared to use their knees in a similar fashion to Mitchell, who was slapped with a grade one dangerous contact charge.
In Barnett’s case, an image shows his knees heading towards the head of Cronulla forward Briton Nikora.
Another image shows Pearson coming in late and making contact on Manly’s Tom Trbojevic, with his knees.
Free to play: Relief for injury hit Roosters
South Sydney and the Roosters are adversaries on the field but a tackle, albeit a high one, by Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell has helped Victor Radley escape a three-week ban.
Radley’s counsel, James McLeod, successfully used a grade one careless high tackle handed to Mitchell in round nine of season 2020, to win a downgrade on a grade two careless charge at the judiciary last night.
A clearly relieved Radley gave the waiting media pack a thumbs up as he made a hastily exit out of Rugby League Central last night.
McLeod said Mitchell was more “culpable” in his tackle on Luke Garner last season than what Radley was in his tackle on Melbourne’s Cameron Munster last Friday night and that warranted a downgrade.
It means Radley is free to take the field in Sunday’s Anzac Day blockbuster against St George Illawarra on Sunday.
The judiciary panel of Bob Lindner, Ben Creagh and Dallas Johnson deliberated for 36 minutes before voting to grant Radley the lesser grade one charge, which attracts a $1900 fine.
Radley had pleaded guilty to the grade two careless high tackle charge for the tackle on Munster and was facing three weeks on the sidelines, but was seeking a lesser grading.
McLeod also argued that Radley was only guilty of executing a bad tackle, a tackle he was not in a position to make, and that was the extent of Radley’s wrongdoing.
“[Radley] at speed was trying to put pressure on Munsters and grabbed at Munster when he was off balance and that’s where his wrong doing starts and ends”.
McLeod also said that Radley “accepts he was careless and stuck his arm out” but that level of carelessness and the force low and that Radley was making a grabbing action at the first point of contact where there was incidental contact between the forwards hand and Munster’s jaw.
The NRL’s counsel, Peter McGrath submitted to the panel that Radley lacked “control that contributes a very high degree of carelessness” in making the tackle on Munster.
“We see Radley accelerating at speed, which he is entitled to do with care. But the speed is a contributor to the degree of force. Because of the speed he was wrong footed and we him throwing the arm directly out and we see him making direct contact to [Munster’s] jaw and side of the head,” McGrath said.
GUILTY! KEY PANTHER FAILS AT NRL JUDICIARY
Penrith centre Paul Momirovski has been rubbed out for three weeks after failing to get a downgrade on a grade two dangerous contact charge at the NRL judiciary last night.
After 15 minutes of deliberation, the judiciary panel of Bob Lindner, Ben Creagh and Dallas Johnson maintained a grade two charge against Momirovski for a tackle on Brisbane playmaker Tom Dearden in last Thursday’ clash, meaning Momirovski won’t take the field again until round 10.
Both sides used a grade one dangerous contact head/neck charge handed to Roosters hooker Jake Friend for a tackle on Dragons playmaker Adam Clune during a round 13 clash in season 2020 to press their claims last night.
NRL counsel, Peter McGarth argued the Friend tackle was not as careless as Momirovski’s tackle on Dearden.
While Momirovski’s counsel Nick Ghabar argued the opposite, that Friend’s tackle showed a higher level of carelessness than the Penrith centre’s tackle on Dearden.
Ghabar also argued that the contact on Dearden’s head was a result of a deflection from the Brisbane playmaker’s hand.
“He admits the offence but admits a low level of carelessness. This contact occurred marginally late and the contact thereafter was deflected contact. It would not have ended up around the head had it not been for the deflection of Dearden’s arm,” Ghabar said.
Ghabar also said Momirovski’s contact was a “cradling” motion rather than a “blunt force” shot and that Momirovski showed a level of care in trying to protect Dearden’s head from hitting the ground and that level of care was not shown in the grade one dangerous contact Friend tackle.
“If this is a grade one tackle [Friend], then surely Momirovski’s tackle is no worse than this,” Ghabar said while comparing the two tackles.
But the judiciary panel found in the favour of McGrath, who successfully argued that Momirovski was “highly careless” in his tackle on Deardean and had used moderate force.
Later in the evening, South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell is also seeking a downgrade on a grade-two dangerous contact charge for a hit on Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma.
Elsewhere, Canterbury’s Jack Hetherington accepted a five-match ban after being the first player this season to be sent off in the Bulldog’s 30-18 loss to the North Queensland Cowboys on Sunday.
Hethrington will next take the field in round 12 against his former side, the Penrith Panthers.
Normally, the grade three charge would have seen the Bulldogs forward cop a three week ban but a poor record means Hetheringon will miss five weeks, despite the early plea.
JUDICIARY FIGHT: NRL’S LATRELL DOUBLE STANDARDS EXPOSED
—Paul Crawley
These are the images that have South Sydney absolutely blowing up at the NRL’s match review committee amid claims of double standards against Latrell Mitchell.
Ahead of what is expected to be an explosive and marathon evening at the judiciary, the Rabbitohs have released pics of three incidents from last weekend’s games that they believe highlight glaring inconsistencies in the match review process.
With Mitchell facing four weeks on the sidelines after copping three separate charges, at best he will escape with a one match ban if he can get his grade two dangerous contact charge for the tackle on Wests Tigers David Nofoaluma downgraded.
It is fair to say the Rabbitohs are stunned at the fact Mitchell and the Sydney Roosters’ Victor Radley were both slapped with grade two charges for their respective tackles on Nofoaluma and Cameron Munster that resulted in no injury.
Yet that was the same grading handed out to Melbourne Felise Kaufusi for his sickening elbow on Parramatta’s Ryan Matterson, who has still not returned from concussion issues since that round two clash.
But Souths are also seething at the fact Mitchell copped a charge for his knee slide into the lower legs and feet of Tigers’ Luke Garner while almost identical incidents over the weekend were not charged.
While Latrell received a grade one dangerous contact, for which he is being fined $1600, Newcastle’s Mitch Barnett and Gold Coast’s Jonus Pearson were not sanctioned for similar incidents for using knees. In Barnett’s case, the image shows his knees heading towards the head of Cronulla’s Briton Nikora.
And the third incident is where Pearson comes in late on Tom Trbojevic after a try, hitting him with his knees and body.
Pearson was not charged for this.
Souths are asking how the NRL match review committee missed these other two incidents, which they claim appear even more serious, yet Mitchell was charged for his.
The Rabbitohs believe this goes to the core of frustrations that have engulfed the game this season relating to what many believe are double standards in the NRL’s judiciary process.
While there has been great debate about what constitutes a sin bin and send off and what doesn’t when it comes to the match review process, everything is viewed in hindsight and incidents are watched over and over in slow motion and frame by frame.
Which is why the Rabbitohs cannot fathom why Mitchell has been charged and others have escaped.
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