‘Perfectly reasonable conclusion’: NRL supports Bunker’s call to sin bin Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

The NRL has given its verdict on the Roger Tuivasa-Sheck decision, and it’s not going to make too many fans happy.

Fans have slammed the decision to sin bin Roger Tuivasa-Sheck on the weekend, but the NRL says the decision was correct. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

It was the tackle that divided the rugby league world on the weekend, with plenty of former players and diehard fans furious with the outcome, but NRL head of football Graham Annesley has doubled down on the call to sin bin Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, declaring the Bunker got it completely right.

The 66-6 loss to the Titans on Saturday had Warriors fans angry for many reasons, with plenty of people blowing up at the call to sin bin Tuivasa-Sheck in the second half for a lifting tackle on Jayden Campbell.

The former Dally M winner took the early guilty plea and accepted a $1000 fine for a grade 1 dangerous throw charge, with fans miffed at how he could have been given the same on-field penalty as Parramatta’s Kelma Tuilagi the week before.

Annesley conceded Tuilagi could have easily been sent off for his lifting tackle on Lindsay Collins that led to a five-match ban, but he had no issue with the call on Saturday having listened to Kasey Badger’s reasoning in the Bunker.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was sin binned for this tackle that was deemed dangerous.

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“While there was fortunately no serious injury here, these are the sort of tackles that we are trying to discourage,” he said.

“We don’t want players lifted, and this is the reason why we don’t want them lifted because it can go wrong so incredibly quickly beyond the control of the tackler, particularly when it’s one-on-one.

“Having viewed this tackle from all the available angles and having listened to the Bunker audio, I think it’s a perfectly reasonable conclusion that Kasey Badger came to in having Roger sent to the sin bin and placed on report for this tackle based on the level of danger involved.”

Campbell wasn’t hurt in the tackle, but Annesley said there were enough warning signs to warrant Tuivasa-Sheck spending 10 minutes off the field.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck accepted a $1000 fine for his lifting tackle. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“It just demonstrates how quickly these sort of tackles can go wrong. We all know that there’s no intent in any of these tackles to hurt anybody,” he said.

“There’s a fair degree of lift in this, both of Campbell’s feet come off the ground and then Roger comes to ground with him.

“The ball and the arm carrying the ball hit the ground first, which thankfully helps to break his fall, but then you’ll notice there’s a degree of whiplash and his head hits the ground.”

Annesley’s explanation came a day after Immortal Andrew Johns vented his frustrations over the Bunker on the Sunday Footy Show.

“Stop imposing yourself on the game,” Johns said.

“There’s a referee out there and two touch judges, so let them officiate the game.

“He gets lifted, but they’re officiating on it in super slow motion. Bunker, stay out of the play.

“The Bunker was brought in to stop the howler in try scoring situations.”

Originally published as ‘Perfectly reasonable conclusion’: NRL supports Bunker’s call to sin bin Roger Tuivasa-Sheck