NRL 2022: The Tackle Round 24, All eyes on Nelson Asofa-Solomona in Eels showdown
Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona will be a marked man on and off the field in Melbourne’s clash with the Eels after his antics against the Roosters. Will he change his tactics?
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Fatima Kdouh reveals her likes and dislikes from Round 24 of the NRL season in The Tackle.
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DISLIKES
CONFUSING RULE COULD DECIDE A FINAL
HIA and concussion are under the spotlight again, and rightfully so. There can be no place for loopholes or opportunistic coaches when it comes to the concussion rule book.
Coen Hess is facing a one match ban with an early plea for a high shot on South Sydney’s Campbell Graham. Hess was binned when his shoulder make contact with Graham’s head.
Graham admitted he was ‘dazed’, yet somehow the centre left the field and returned in a matter of minutes after being interchanged under the foul play and not HIA rules.
More than ever, we are also seeing examples of trainers clearing players on the field before they get taken off after a couple of tackles later, effectively halting momentum twice for teams in an attacking position.
On Sunday, Titans fullback Jayden Campbell was forced off for a HIA even though the high shot from Newcastle’s Adam Clune wasn’t penalised. More confusion ensued.
HOW MANY MORE DOG SHOTS CAN NELSON GET AWAY WITH?
All eyes will be on Nelson Asofa-Solomona when Melbourne take on Parramatta this week, but for all the wrong reasons.
We’ll all be watching, and counting, just how many more dog shots Asofa-Solomona will be allowed to get away with.
Asofa-Solomona got away with a $3,000 fine for trying to attack Joseph Suaalii’s face with his forearm, while the Roosters winger was defenceless on the ground.
It’s a shamefully weak punishment from the MRC, who are supposed to be protecting players from dangerous contact to the head.
What is the MRC, or even the NRL for that matter, waiting for before they finally act?
A catastrophic injury?
Asofa-Solomona has form.
Earlier this month, the Storm forward escaped punishment entirely when he dropped his elbow on Wayde Egan’s face, leaving him with broken teeth.
Remarkably, MRC manager Luke Patten deemed the contact ‘minor’ and that ‘clear separation’ in the tackle meant there was no head slam.
The same can be said for Cameron Munster, who put a similar shot, using his forearm to attack Sam Walker’s head.
The MRC must act now to eradicate such dirty play from the game. Warning letters and fines are simply not cutting it.
This is dreadful…the current penalties are simply not an adequate deterrent.
— Martin Lang (@Martin_Lang11) August 27, 2022
pic.twitter.com/LoikHT2c08
Nelson getting busy with the knees. pic.twitter.com/9MggQVxBO3
— Russell Jackson (@rustycj) August 26, 2022
NO VICTOR IN RADLEY BRAVERY
Seeing Victor Radley convulsing on the ground after a tackle gone wrong on Friday night was tough viewing.
We constantly hear cries that the game is going soft.
There is nothing soft about a game that can leave a man in his physical prime in such a vulnerable state when something as simple as a tackle goes wrong.
Thankfully, he has been in good spirits since the ugly concussion. It’s looking likely he will be rested for Friday’s huge clash against South Sydney, saving Radley from himself.
Radley has one gear, Kamikaze, and Trent Robinson can ill afford to lose him on the eve of the finals series.
JWH V NAS: LET THE BIG BOYS PLAY
Referee Adam Gee had seen enough as Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Melbourne big man Nelson Asofa-Solomona decided to lock horns.
But the rest of us definitely had not.
“Listen to me, if he comes in again, or we get another melee, blokes will be sitting down, no more, line in the sand,” Gee bellowed at the respective skippers.
Yes, there was niggle, yes the tension was high and threatened to boil over. But that only added to the theatre of the battle between two of the competition’s heavyweights.
And of course, Waerea-Hargreaves couldn’t help but give Asofa-Solomona some extra attention the next time the Storm forward lined-up him from a restart.
It was hardly a boil over, but Gee left himself no other option than to send Waerea-Hargreaves to bin. Worse indiscretions have gone unpunished this season.
Let the big boys play.
MEDIOCRITY A DISEASE BRONCOS CAN’T CURE
Accepting Brisbane’s demise in 2022 as anything other than a season failed, is accepting mediocrity.
The problem with mediocrity is that it festers, makes itself at home and becomes the new normal, like missing the finals, which the Broncos are on course to do for the third straight year.
Too many want to pat the Broncos on the back for producing an ‘improved’ season after finishing 14th last year and falling as low as last in 2020.
But close enough, can’t be good enough.
The Wests Tigers are a cautionary tale for any side that wants to ride the coat-tails of mediocrity.
Somehow Brisbane now find themselves outside of the top eight, having lost four from their five matches, after sitting as high as fourth on the ladder a mere five weeks ago.
With everything to play for against Parramatta, the Broncos crumbled and opened the door for Canberra to squeeze them out of finals contention, which they did after stealing eighth spot with a 48-6 win over Manly.
And the excuses are starting to trickle through.
The side is young, inexperienced and has run out of gas… to the point coach that Kevin Walters decided to rest his most prized weapon flyer Selwyn Cobbo for the club’s most important game of the season against Parramatta.
That losing captain Pat Carrigan to suspension was a toll too great to bear.
But that is surely nothing more than cold comfort for Broncos faithful.
Now, the only way back for Brisbane is to thrash a Dragons side boasting a number of former Broncos players like Josh Maguire, Ben Hunt and former coach Anthony Griffin, all who would like nothing more than to be the ones to put Brisbane’s season to the sword.
You get the feeling the Dragons are about to add insult to injury.
BAD TO WORSE FOR TIGERS
Incoming coach Tim Sheens has his work cut out this pre-season, starting with a crash course on NRL rules.
Inexplicably, Junior Pauga played at a short drop out inside the 10 metres and conceded a penalty with the game on the line at 22-16. It was the turning point that allowed the Dragons to roll 100 metres and score a try to level the scores.
It was compounded by giving away a penalty in the final minute for Zac Lomax to seal the win with a clutch goal from the sideline.
It’s five minutes of madness that all but delivered the club’s first wooden spoon.
LIKES
PROOF NRL WILL NEVER LOSE ITS HUMAN SIDE
Off-contract stars do a good job of reminding us that the NRL is a business these days.
But on some days, it is much more than that, like it was for Canberra favourite Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who is returning home to New Zealand next season.
Nicoll-Klokstad crumpled into a heap of emotion after realising he had just scored his final try and kicked a final goal in what was his final game for the Raiders – even if it was in reserve grade.
It was a touching reminder that behind players evolving into entertainers and brands in our billion dollar sport, there is still a very human side to our once working class game.
KEARY CONFIDENCE BACK AFTER HEAD KNOCKS
It’s no coincidence the Roosters have hit their straps at the same time five-eighth Luke Keary has also found his best form.
No team has won the title from outside the top four in almost 30 years but coach Trent Robinson is certainly meticulously planning a September ambush, with Keary as his general.
It wasn’t that long ago Keary was fending off questions about retirement after copping another worrying concussion in June.
Keary’s concussion hiccup even had some suggesting the premiership winner was stifling the development of powerhouse centre Joey Manu, who seems destined for a move into the halves.
RONALDO’S SUPERHERO ENTRANCE
To the rugby league world Ronaldo Mulitalo is one of the good guys, to his teammates he is a doppelganger for The Incredibles character Frozone.
So, Mulitalo channelled Frozone before Cronulla’s clash against Canterbury, wearing the superhero’s signature sunglasses to Pointsbet Stadium on Saturday.
Mulitalo might not be able to freeze water like his superhero look-a-like but he has iced 15 tries so far this season, where career-best form has just earned him a contract extension.
ORIGINS OF NRL’S NEWEST COACHING FEUD
There was no love lost between Cowboys coach Todd Payten and South Sydney’s Jason Demetriou on Saturday night.
Demetriou accused Payten of complaining too much after the Cowboys boss questioned the use of HIA rules during crucial points on the night, including late in the game when North Queensland were trying to peg back Souths’ lead.
The twist in the tail is that the pair have a history together, having served on the coaching staff of the late Paul Green when the Cowboys won their maiden title in 2015.
But you would never have guessed it after last Saturday night’s press conferences.
And we might not have to wait long for the return bout. With the Cowboys already assured a top-four berth and the Rabbitohs due to play an elimination final in week one of the playoffs, it’s quite possible these teams could face off again in September.
Demetriou has been at odds with Queensland clubs this week, with his latest spat coming just days after incoming Dolphins assistant Kristian Woolf became caught in the crossfire of the Latrell Mitchell contract saga.
As the race for Mitchell’s signature for 2024 heats up, Demetriou attempted to downplay the Dolphins’ trump card of reuniting the superstar fullback to play under Wayne Bennett.
“Going off to play for Wayne for one year before Kristian takes over in 2024, I’m not sure that’s a real carrot for anyone,” Demetriou said.
Woolf, coincidentally, was also in North Queensland in 2015 as coach of the Hostplus Cup side the Townsville Blackhawks.
If Bennett’s running battle with Ivan Cleary has taught us anything, it’s that feuding coaches make for enthralling viewing.
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Originally published as NRL 2022: The Tackle Round 24, All eyes on Nelson Asofa-Solomona in Eels showdown
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