NRL 2024: Haumole Olakau’atu and Daly Cherry-Evans face two-game bans for Shaun Lane tackle
Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans and Haumole Olakau’atu have been slapped with big bans by the NRL’s Match Review Committee.
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Manly have approached judiciary veteran lawyer Nick Ghabar before deciding if they will fight the double charge for star duo Daly Cherry-Evans and back-rower Haumole Olakau’atu.
Cherry-Evans and Olakau’atu have been hit with two to three week bans after being charged with a grade-two dangerous contact charge for the same tackle during Manly’s 32-18 win against Parramatta.
The tackle occurred on Parramatta back-rower Shaun Lane in the fifth minute and resulted in Olakau’atu being sin-binned.
The Sea Eagles have reached out to Ghabar to gauge the chances of either of the pair beating the charge at the judiciary. Manly will decide by Monday.
Jake Arthur will replace Cherry-Evans at halfback for Manly’s clash against the Raiders on Friday night.
Dean Matterson, Brad Parker and Ben Condon could come into the side should Olakau’atu be banned.
Back-rower Corey Waddell said the news of the potentials bans shocked him.
“I was a little bit surprised seeing that,” Waddell said on ABC Sport. “I wasn’t quite sure what would come out of it. If they do get suspended. I’m sure whoever comes in next, it’s a good challenge to have them out is a big loss. It’s a big challenge who could come in.
“Whoever Seibs (Anthony Seibolds) picks to come into the team, we’ve all been training together we have solid opposed session. Whoever comes in will take their opportunity.”
Waddell has found a place as Olakau’atu’s back-row partner.
“I’ve had an opportunity to start the last few weeks, I’ve taken it with both hands,” Waddell said. “I really enjoy my time starting. Taking every opportunity as it comes.”
Meanwhile, Parramatta winger Maika Sivo has escaped a ban for his brain snap after being sin-binned for elbowing Reuben Garrick in a crucial part of the game.
Sivo will be fined $3000.
HEAVY LOSS HEAPS PRESSURE ON ARTHUR
Conjecture over the future of Brad Arthur’s tenure as Parramatta coach looks set to continue after his Eels failed to contend with a spirited Sea Eagles comeback.
The halftime break proved the Eels’ worst enemy yet again, unable to prevent a consecutive second half capitulation which saw their 14-6 lead diminished by a Sea Eagles second half groundswell.
Seven days removed from conceding eight tries in 25 minutes against the Dolphins, the Eels had no answers for their opposition’s attacking flair as the Sea Eagles saw out a 32-18 victory.
Publicly criticising his playing group as a ‘part time football team’ following the Dolphins loss, Arthur would have been mightily pleased with his team’s first 40.
Maika Sivo looked the Fijian flyer of old as he secured his first hat-trick of the season, while debuting playmaker Ethan Sanders was impressive on the Eels’ left edge.
The direct attack of the Eels ceased to exist in the second half, again raising question marks over their commitment to their coach.
The sin-binning of Will Penisini and Sivo failed to help the Eels’ cause as they attempted to mount an unlikely comeback, one that came within two points before the Sea Eagles put the boot in.
From hat trick hero to finishing the match in the sin bin. Maika Sivo has had an 'absolute brain explosion.'
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Arthur remained optimistic despite his team’s recent woes.
“I won’t lie. I was concerned after last week with the lack of effort and the way we fell in a massive hole,” Arthur said.
“So my initial thoughts are, we haven’t lost the footy team, they’re still there. But in the second half, we beat ourselves.”
The 2022 grand final is now a distant memory for the Eels, consigned to another agonising weekend in the competition’s bottom four.
The direct attacking style of the Eels ceased to exist in the second half however, again raising question marks over their commitment to their coach.
The sin-binning of Will Penisini and Sivo failed to help the Eels’ cause as they attempted to mount an unlikely comeback.
The 2022 grand final is now a distant memory for the Eels, consigned to another agonising weekend in the competition’s bottom four.
CAPTAIN’S KNOCK
Daly Cherry-Evans took Manly’s poor first half showing personally, single-handily wrestling his team back into proceedings early in the second half.
The Manly skipper had the ball on the string after the break, threading the needle with a magic pass to winger Jason Saab who passed back inside for Tom Trbojevic to get the Sea Eagles back within two points.
Five minutes later it would be Cherry-Evans who scored himself, capitalising on the uncharacteristic ball play of front row duo Nathan Brown and Jake Trbojevic.
Playing as if he could go another decade, Cherry-Evans’s flurry pushed his team back into a lead that was rarely threatened thereafter as they ran out with a 26-4 second half turnaround.
LAST LAUGH
Reuben Garrick could have a career in modelling after his career is said and done, but it came under threat when Sivo tried to inspire his teammates, who were down by two points at the time, by elbowing the Manly centre’s face off with 10 minutes left.
The illegal action would be Sivo’s final act in the game and may result in further consequences. Eels captain Clinton Gutherson couldn’t hide his frustrations over Sivo’s “stupid” play.
“We gave ourselves every chance to win. The silly things at the moment we are doing to ourselves at the moment are costing us,” he said.
“You can’t do that in the NRL, doesn’t matter who you’re playing. We killed ourselves. As captain, you take it personally when nobody is doing their job.”
Garrick had the last laugh, scoring two tries in the final nine minutes to put the game beyond doubt and his team back in the top four.
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Originally published as NRL 2024: Haumole Olakau’atu and Daly Cherry-Evans face two-game bans for Shaun Lane tackle
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