The Tackle: Paul Crawley reveals his likes and dislikes from NRL Round 1
The NRL has defended its decision not to charge Titans star Jayden Campbell over a tackle that resulted in two broken ribs and a punctured lung. PAUL CRAWLEY’S likes and dislikes from round one.
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What an opening weekend to the 2022 NRL season!
Upsets galore, some shock performances (both good and bad) and plenty of talking points.
These are Paul Crawley’s likes and dislikes to come out of round one.
DISLIKES
1 BROKEN RIBS, PUNCTURED LUNG
Parramatta young gun Sean Russell will remain in hospital for several days after suffering two broken ribs and a punctured lung from a tackle the NRL has deemed not worthy of a charge.
In a stunning decision that has flabbergasted fans with 73 per cent of our online readers voting “it was dangerous”, the NRL match review committee defended its decision not to charge Gold Coast fullback Jayden Campbell, claiming they “did not believe Campbell dangerously led with the knees”.
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Yet the tackle was eerily similar to the one from Russell’s teammate Dylan Brown last year on the Sydney Roosters’ Drew Hutchison which left him with a punctured lung and broken ribs and resulted in a three-match ban for the Eels five-eighth.
Parramatta football manager Mark O’Neill did not want to comment on whether he agreed with the MRC decision to not even deem the tackle careless but revealed it left Russell “in a fair bit of discomfort”.
“He has a punctured lung, broken ribs and he is in hospital at the minute for a period so we can see how it all repairs,” O’Neill explained.
“I am not sure on a return to play date just yet.
“I spoke to him this morning and his mum.
“We had a little bit of a joke about him being the leading tryscorer in the comp (the incident happened as Russell touched down for his first half hat-trick).
“He is in good spirits at least but without the drugs he’d be in a fair bit of pain.
“I think he will be in (hospital) for at least a couple of days depending on how the lung repairs.”
Asked how long the club expects Russell to be sidelined, he added: “The only reference I’ve got is unfortunately (Hutchison) last year.
“It was a similar incident Dylan did on him. But he was out for a bit.”
Hutchison ended up being sidelined for seven weeks after suffering complications due to his lung collapsing three times.
It leaves the Eels without three of their top wing options following long term knee injuries to Maika Sivo and Haze Dunster.
Bailey Simonsson remains Parramatta’s only established winger in the countdown to Saturday’s clash against Cronulla.
The Eels were already on the lookout for experienced outside backs reinforcements but after missing out on Brisbane’s Jamayne Isaako the search continues.
Meanwhile, the NRL match review panel put out a statement on Monday to explain the decision.
Sean Russell off to hospital with suspected broken ribs, traumatic mechanism with direct contact to his right side. Hospital trip likely to clear any internal damage, fingers crossed that’s the case here. If injury isolated to ribs most players return in 3-6 weeks pic.twitter.com/dck050Q4EJ
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) March 13, 2022
“The MRC believed there was forceful contact, however they did not deem the actions of Campbell to be careless,” the statement read.
“They formed the view that Campbell made contact while attempting to stop Sean Russell from scoring by attempting to dislodge the ball from Russell who had lowered his body well before the try line. They did not believe Campbell dangerously led with the knees. They felt the review showed Campbell lowering his body and leading with his arm in a genuine attempt to stop a try from being scored.
“Campbell’s arm does make contact with the ball before it reaches the line although his knees make simultaneous contact with Russell which the MRC deemed as accidental in an attempt to stop a try.”
Asked if he was satisfied with the decision not to charge Campbell, NRL head of football Graham Annesley added: “I don’t sit in there and review it with them but I am happy that they have been through a comprehensive process in reaching their decision.
“There will always be a wide variety of views on these matters but they have given a detailed explanation and they have been through a comprehensive review of it from all different angles.”
The NRL found support in respected former match review chairman and leading referee Greg McCallum who says it was a “50/50” call.
“If you compare it to Brown’s one last year it probably falls under that (dangerous contact),” McCallum said.
“There was a little bit more recklessness in Brown’s one.
“I know they have probably wiped the slate clean comparing things but that is how I would have compared it.
“I thought it was a 50/50 one but I probably would have not charged him.
“I don’t think the degree of carelessness was high enough.”
2 CANNON BALL AS DANGEROUS AS A BLATANT HEAD HIGH
Everything about the cannon ball tackle is ugly and horribly dangerous.
It’s right up with the worst types of tackles because it leaves the ball carrier in the most vulnerable position possible.
You’ve got a bloke launching like a missile at his opponent’s lower legs when the attacking player already has two defenders holding him up.
It means the man with the ball is absolutely defenseless.
And as Michael Ennis said in Fox League commentary on Saturday night: “We can’t keep waiting until someone does an ACL to then outlaw it”.
Yet it seems the NRL has ignored Ennis’ warning, and those of many in and around the game, after Melbourne’s Trent Loiero escaped with a grade one dangerous contact charge for his cannon ball on Wests Tigers forward Luciano Leilua.
It means Loiero will pay a $1000 fine with an early plea.
Meanwhile, Sydney Roosters prop Lindsay Collins escaped any sanction for his dangerous cannon ball on Newcastle’s Enari Tuala.
In both cases it was only luck that Leilua and Tuala didn’t suffer serious injuries.
In Collins’ case it came after he previously escaped with just a fine for another horrible incident on Tigers playmaker Jackson Hastings in the trials.
The tackle on Tuala may not have appeared quite as bad, but it certainly was still dangerous.
To his credit, Michael Maguire did not try and influence the match review process after the tackle on Leilua, although he certainly didn’t ignore the fact it is an accident waiting to happen.
“It is something we never, ever practice, but it is something the game needs to watch,” Maguire said.
Yet the lack of action from the NRL is a major concern.
The reality is that a cannon ball is potentially as dangerous as a blatant head high, and it should be treated accordingly.
3 IMAGINE TURBO BEHIND PENRITH PACK
It’s no good having the game’s best player when Tom Trbojevic is playing behind a pack that get comprehensively out-muscled.
Understandably a lot of the post-match spotlight on Thursday night focused on the performance of Penrith’s fill-in halfback Sean O’Sullivan, who was outstanding in Nathan Cleary’s absence.
And the Panthers had stars across the park with Dylan Edwards, Isaah Yeo and Stephen Crichton all exceptional.
But equally impressive was the Panthers’ ruck control, completely dominating the Manly forwards.
And you saw in O’Sullivan’s performance the time and space that his middle forwards provided him was gold, with James Fisher-Harris leading the charge.
Imagine if Turbo and Daly Cherry-Evans were playing off the back of that?
Aside from Jake Trbojevic and Sean Keppie it was a total mismatch.
Now the Sea Eagles take on the Roosters, who themselves have something to prove after copping their own reality check off the Knights.
It will be interesting to see how both Des Hasler and Trent Robinson get their big boys fired up for this, with the battle between Turbo and James Tedesco to be decided off the back of it.
4 PLAY-THE-BALL CRACKDOWN A FARCE
It seems the match officials have set out to take a stand against players not making a genuine attempt to touch the ball with their feet while playing the ball.
A trend that started in the trials continued throughout round one with some curious discretionary calls leaving commentators and fans scratching their heads.
What I can’t wait to see now is how this unfolds for the rest of the season.
Andrew Voss made a great call in the Broncos/Rabbitohs match after Alex Johnston was pinged.
“Let’s see them do it in the 70th minute of a grand final at 12-all,” Voss said.
But if this is the standard in round one then they have to continue it all season, with consistency across all games.
Otherwise, why make an issue of it now?
5 RABBITOHS IN DENIAL OVER REYNOLDS’ EXIT
This is no swipe at young Lachlan Ilias, who is going to take time to settle into the No.7 jumper.
But what Friday night in Brisbane exposed was the giant hole Adam Reynolds leaves behind at South Sydney.
And the Rabbitohs are in denial if they think it’s just a few journos questioning if the club has made a major blunder not finding a way to keep their beloved former skipper.
It again came up post-match when Jason Demetriou appeared a little frustrated with the line of questioning when he was asked if Reynolds’ absence was the “missing link” following the shock opening loss.
Demetriou basically shot it down, saying it’s “irrelevant”, because the fact is Reynolds has gone and Souths have to get on with the future that is Ilias.
But even so, how Souths respond to Reynolds’ exit is going to be one of the biggest ongoing storylines this season.
It’s not going to get any easier this week when they take on Melbourne who will be celebrating Craig Bellamy’s 500th NRL game as a coach — with Harry Grant, Cameron Munster and Jesse Bromwich all back.
At least the Rabbitohs have Latrell returning from suspension, which should make a huge difference.
6 WHAT WAS JOHNSON THINKING?
Everyone loves the brilliance and instinct Shaun Johnson and the Warriors bring to the game.
But surely at 31 a playmaker with Johnson’s experience should display better judgement than the early tackle cross-field kick near his own tryline when the Warriors were trailing 18-16 and still with about 12 minutes left on the clock.
Instead of finding Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Cody Ramsey flew across to clean it up and give the Dragons back the ball in great field position.
It certainly didn’t cost them the game, but it might have ended any hope they had of winning it.
It was classic Shaun Johnson and classic New Zealand Warriors.
And it left me wondering if the Warriors will ever change.
7 ROTTEN INJURIES MAR ROUND ONE
On a brutal opening weekend there was no sadder sight than Melbourne enforcer Christian Welch sitting in the dressing sheds struggling to contain his emotions after suffering a ruptured Achilles.
On a night where Craig Bellamy said he couldn’t remember a braver effort from the Storm, the big prop, who was filling in as captain, had to be assisted from the field late in the game after going down untouched while moving up in the defensive line.
It was just another awful reminder of how cruel the game can be.
8 EMBARRASSING FLAWS IN NEW CONCUSSION PROCESS
You’d back NASA to get an astronaut into space almost as quick as it takes the NRL’s new independent doctor review system to break down what constitutes a concussion or not and get the message from the Bunker back to the ground.
While no one is questioning the decision to evaluate head knocks via video replay is not a good idea, the opening round exposed some embarrassing flaws that need urgent addressing this week in respect to how long the process takes.
On Saturday night the Roosters were far from happy at the way Victor Radley and Billy Smith were both taken out of the game.
But it got worse in Townsville on Sunday night when it seemed an eternity had passed before the message got back to get the Bulldogs’ Braidon Burns from the field.
Surely with modern technology (and especially with the amount of replays that are viewed after every try) it shouldn’t take this long to make a call on something as clear cut as the Burns incident.
9 PAPS LEADS RACE IN BAD HAIR STAKES
This mullet craze, where did it comes from and how do we get rid of it?
Seriously, someone needs to sit Ryan Papenhuyzen down to watch Joe Dirt.
The only thing that’s missing is the sideburns.
It takes a special haircut to be considered the best of the worst in the game right now.
But the flying Melbourne fullback is a runaway leader, although big Josh Papalii is also deserving of a special mention.
ROUND ONE DALLY M VOTES
PANTHERS v SEA EAGLES
Judge: Andrew Johns
3: I Yeo (PEN)
2: S O’Sullivan (PEN)
1: J Fisher-Harris (PEN)
RAIDERS v SHARKS
Judge: Scott Sattler
3: J Wighton (CBR)
2: J Tapine (CBR)
1: B Brailey (CRO)
BRONCOS v RABBITOHS
Judge: Greg Alexander
3: P Haas (BRI)
2: J Arrow (STH)
1: P Carrigan (BRI)
ROOSTERS v KNIGHTS
Judge: Steve Roach
3: J Clifford (NEW)
2: K Ponga (NEW)
1: D Klemmer (NEW)
WARRIORS v DRAGONS
Judge: David Shillington
3: J Curran (NZL)
2: B Hunt (STI)
1: M Ravalawa (STI)
TIGERS v STORM
Judge: James Smith
3: J Hughes (MEL)
2: R Papenhuyzen (MEL)
1: D Laurie (WST)
EELS v TITANS
Judge: Greg Inglis
3: M Moses (PAR)
2: R Mahoney (PAR)
1: T Sexton (GCT)
COWBOYS v BULLDOGS
Judge: Ben Creagh
3: L Thompson (CAN)
2: J Hetherington (CAN)
1: A Seumanufagai (CAN)
LIKES
1 KEVVIE REIGNITED BRONCOS’ PASSION
There were some sensational upsets over the weekend but none bigger or better than the Broncos’ shock victory over grand finalists South Sydney.
And take a bow Kevvie Walters because he was the unsung hero of this wonderful victory, masterminding it on the back of that good old Broncos’ spirit and a mindset that was all about effort.
It spoke so positively about the direction the club looks to be heading in.
I know it’s only round one, but there was something about the Broncos’ body language that suggests there’s been a big change over the summer, and this is just the start of it.
From Payne Haas playing the entire 40 minutes of the second half to Pat Carrigan’s outstanding support role and Kurt Capewell match clinching field goal, while in Reynolds’ absence Albert Kelly and Billy Walters did an amazing job.
With Reynolds back for round two, Kevvie will most likely play Albert Kelly in the halves, but he has to keep his boy Billy in the team as the bench utility.
And what about this young sensation Selwyn Cobbo who sent poor Josh Mansour home with nightmares. What a player he’s going to be.
But more than anything, it was just so much fun watching a club that has gone through so much turmoil in recent years having the time of their lives.
Now they’ve set the benchmark, they need to back it up against the Bulldogs.
2 SHARKS AMBUSHED BY JACK’S MILESTONE
What about Jack Wighton’s effort in his 200th game? With all the pre-match hype surrounding Nicho Hynes’ club debut for Cronulla, Wighton’s milestone match was almost unnoticed in the build up.
That was until you saw Ricky Stuart welling up with emotion in his interview on Fox just before kick off when he was speaking about what Wighton means to the Raiders.
At that moment you could tell the Sharks were walking into an ambush.
Speaking of an outstanding individual performance, Dylan Edwards showed once again what a hugely underrated player he is.
Fox Sports Stats had the Penrith fullback down for 306m from 28 carries. It was the most metres Edwards has ever clocked up in a match, although he did have 30 carries in a game in 2020.
3 RAMPAGING RAVALAWA’S HAT-TRICK
Imagine being Anthony Griffin in the St George Illawarra coach’s box and riding the Mikaele Ravalawa rollercoaster for 80 minutes every weekend?
One minute he’s scoring a try, the next he’s dropping the ball from the kick off, then he’s over for another try, busting through tackle after tackle like a Fijian Superman to finish with a hat-trick.
And the way he attacks the play with and without the football, I don’t think there is a more fearless player in the game with an all-or-nothing attitude that is just box office gold.
4 YOUNG KNIGHTS AIM UP
I admit I was one who said the Knights would be the team to drop out of the top eight this year. And my main fear was that their young spine would be exposed after the exit of Mitchell Pearce and the injury to Jayden Brailey.
But that win over the Roosters certainly stopped plenty of critics like me in our tracks.
While Dane Gagai was standout for man of the match, Jake Clifford was probably the next best ahead of Kalyn Ponga, and Adam Clune was really solid. But across the park the Knights really aimed up with Tyson Frizell and Lachlan Fitzgibbon also impressive.
Trent Robinson didn’t look for excuses when he said after the game “we got what we deserved today”.
5 COULD CURRAN BE A BLUES BOLTER?
In a beaten team Warriors lock Josh Curran again showed what an exceptional young talent he is.
There are some really great lock forwards in the game right now with Jake Trbojevic, Cameron Murray, Isaah Yeo and Victor Radley leading the way for the NSW Blues.
But at 22, Curran looks to be a player who could force his way into the conversation in the not too distant future if he keeps improving like he has over the past 12 months.
Born in Sydney, a lot of fans may not know he played schoolboys at Patrician Brothers Blacktown and was in the same Australian Schoolboys side as Zac Lomax, Nick Cotric, Campbell Graham and Payne Haas among many others who graduated to the NRL.
6 NEW TIGER DOESN’T DODGE THE TRUTH
The Wests Tigers didn’t get the points but they deserve credit for their gutsy effort against the Storm.
But what was equally impressive was the way Jackson Hastings came out after the game and refused to shy away from the reality.
“You say it is a good performance, you can’t play for 40 minutes,” Hastings told Fox.
“We are trying to get the club out of that stage where 40 minutes isn’t good enough. We played a really good half of footy and then played a really poor half of footy.”
Hastings’ refreshing honesty is a great sign.
7 LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
One of the really special moments to come out of round one belonged to the Wisharts.
With former Illawarra Steeler Rod watching from the sidelines, young Tyran Wishart had a memorable debut for the Storm after coming on early for the injured Brandon Smith.
In his day, Rod was a tremendous footballer who did just about everything in a career that included 22 Origins and 17 Tests for Australia.
But he wouldn’t have had too many prouder moments than watching his son perform like he did on debut in a memorable win.
8 POSITIVE START FOR RULE CHANGE
Who knows if the NRL’s new rule change had anything to do with the opening round of shock upsets.
But one thing is for certain, the NRL is on a winner with the change to bring back a penalty instead of a set re-start for infringements inside the 40m zone.
Straight away it has stopped teams blatantly breaking the rule by giving up a restart on early tackles to gain a defensive dominance.
There’s no doubt it slows the game down a bit, but I don’t think you’ll get too many complaints on what we saw in the opening round.
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