Parramatta Eels incensed over two grubby acts by Brisbane Broncos players

MICHAEL Jennings has accused Brisbane players of two deliberate acts of foul play, one of which resulted in the season-ending knee injury to their own hooker.

Josh McGuire during the Brisbane Broncos training session in Brisbane, Monday, July 31, 2017. The Broncos will play the Titans in their round 22 NRL clash. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING

BRISBANE’S Josh McGuire enhanced his reputation as a cheap-shot merchant and teammate Adam Blair caused a season-ending injury to his own hooker in two incidents that left the Parramatta Eels fuming.

Eels centre Michael Jennings accused the Brisbane pair of two deliberate low acts in last Friday’s thrilling clash, setting the scene for an explosive encore when the premiership contenders face off again in four weeks.

McGuire stomped on the ankle of Parramatta skipper Tim Mannah in the dying minutes of their 28-14 loss to the Eels at ANZ Stadium, while Jennings said he feared for his safety when Blair cannoned into his legs in an off-the-ball tackle.

@EelsTCT doesn't seem like an accident by McGuire. Issue for Match review committee? pic.twitter.com/bKiM7qYhuD

— Arthur (@amitropo) July 29, 2017

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett slammed Eels backrower Kenny Edwards for late shot on Jonus Pearson as “not good for the game’’, but Jennings hit back at McGuire and Blair.

“That shouldn’t be in our game, that’s dirty play,’’ said Jennings, when The Daily Telegraph showed him a video of McGuire’s 79th-minute stomping on Mannah’s ankle.

“You can see he’s intentionally trying to tread on his ankle, and it’s good nobody was hurt.

“With those intentions, you don’t need it in our game.

“I don’t intentionally go out to injure someone else. That’s just low. I couldn’t think of anything worse than try to hurt someone else.’’

Blair threw himself into Michael Jennings’ legs.

Jennings then turned on Blair for throwing himself low at him as he chased hard after his own grubber 10 minutes out from full-time. Jennings was awarded a penalty while Blair landed on McCullough, who suffered a season-ending knee injury.

“I’m lucky I didn’t come out of that (Adam Blair) tackle with a bad knee,’’ Jennings said.

“Adam Blair went straight for my knees, and he’s taken his own player out. I’m glad I came out of that with just a cork.

“It’s sad to see Adam’s own teammate has been injured from that tackle.

“When McCullough did his knee, I was thinking, ‘that could have been me’ because he went straight for my legs.

“I was thinking I could have come out of that worse than McCullough. He got the short end of the straw, which is sad.

Blair’s reckless challenge has ended McCullough’s season.

“We got a penalty out of it, which is fair enough.

“At the time I was more thinking about trying to score a try more than anything else.’’

Brisbane host Parramatta in round 25 at Suncorp Stadium, and the teams could even play for a third time in the finals.

Jennings ran for 145m last Friday night and caused Brisbane continual headaches in the second half.

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He will prove hard to stop for Canterbury on Thursday night at ANZ Stadium, and said there was belief brewing out west the Eels could push deep into September.

“It’s not a dream for us anymore, it’s a reality that we can make the finals and really push forward in this competition if we keep playing the way we did on weekend,’’ Jennings said.

A win will lift Parramatta above Brisbane and North Queensland into the top four, temporarily at least. The Broncos travel to the Gold Coast while the Cowboys host Melbourne.

Originally published as Parramatta Eels incensed over two grubby acts by Brisbane Broncos players