NRL must make a stand on eye-gouging to eradicate it
Sam Burgess’s tackle on Matt Moylan was bad but I can live with that. What I won’t cop is eye gouging and it’s time the NRL made an example of someone, writes GORDEN TALLIS.
Opinion
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The NRL needs to take a stand on eye gouging and give the next bloke found guilty of that low act a 20-week ban.
Rugby league is a tough game played by tough individuals. People love it because what happens on the field is not normal with the players pushing themselves to the limit.
But nothing about eye gouging is tough.
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It doesn’t show any leadership. You don’t earn respect by eye gouging.
If anything, it shows a lack of ability.
It shows your tackles aren’t hurting the opposition. It shows you are not running the ball hard enough. It shows you cannot beat your opponent with skill, speed or strength.
You are clearly frustrated with how a game is going so you resort to a dangerous act, a cheap shot to throw your opponent off their game by sparking a reaction.
There’s a few things that rugby league doesn’t cop. Raised elbows is one and eye gouging is another on the taboo list.
In general, the NRL also has to stop listening to the victims who help the eye gougers get off. It has to take the process out of their hands because — mostly — players will stick with the old “what happens on the field, stays on the field’’ mantra.
Footy has moved past that. Just because you might be a good bloke, it is not an excuse for a grubby act that could blind someone.
I know Sam Burgess had some luck at the judiciary last week.
His tackle on Matt Moylan started as a legitimate, legal and hard tackle but he hit and slipped up. I can live with that.
But I can’t cop eye gouging.
I don’t know why it has happened but eye gouging has made a bit of a comeback in 2019.
I know it’s retro round this weekend but that is one thing I don’t want to make a comeback.
Canberra’s Hudson Young got a five-week ban for eye gouging Aiden Tolman earlier in the year then George Burgess got a nine-week suspension for what he did to Robbie Farah.
And then you have Josh McGuire.
First things first, I couldn’t see precisely where his fingers and thumb went when his hand went near the face of David Fifita on Thursday night.
He has been cited and the process will run its course.
But I was shocked to see Josh put his hand anywhere near the face of another player after he dodged a couple of bullets to escape with fines earlier this year.
I know Josh. I like Josh. But he has to cut that stuff out of his game immediately. It happens once and you might forgive it for being an accident. Twice, and questions are raised. But a third time?
The Cowboys need to sit him down and tell him in no uncertain terms that the club cannot afford him to play with fire like this.
The game as a whole cannot afford this kind of act as it brings rugby league into disrepute.
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