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Roosters enforcer Dylan Napa under fire for brutal hit

ROOSTERS firebrand Dylan Napa faces the prospect of being rubbed out of the finals series after being sin-binned for the second time this season for leading with his head while defending.

Michael CarayannisMichael Carayannis
@mcarayannis
3 min read
August 26, 2018 - 7:09AM
Dylan Napa was sin-binned during the Roosters’ clash with the Broncos. Picture: AAP
Dylan Napa was sin-binned during the Roosters’ clash with the Broncos. Picture: AAP

ROOSTERS firebrand Dylan Napa’s controversial tackle style will again come under the microscope after he was sin-binned for the second time this season against the Broncos for leading with his head while defending.

Napa came charging off his defensive line and collected Maroons teammate Andrew McCullough in the head during the Broncos’ shock 22-8 win in front of 13263 people at Allianz Stadium.

Dylan Napa was sin-binned for a controversial hit on Andrew McCullough. Picture: Getty Images
Dylan Napa was sin-binned for a controversial hit on Andrew McCullough. Picture: Getty Images

It mirrored an incident earlier this year where Napa was again sin-binned when his head broke the jaw of Brisbane’s Korbin Sims. Sims missed three games because of the injury when the Broncos beat the Roosters 28-22 in May.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson said it was not a deliberate act.

“This is unique,” Robinson said.

“He is a physical player. He is aggressive in the way he goes about that play. It’s not good to see Andrew in that way. For a tough player, they play in a certain way. If it was Napa I wouldn’t like to see him that way.

“I support Naps (Napa) in the way he plays the game. People enjoy the physicality of the way he plays.

“He is going to tackle him. It’s not a shoulder charge. His arms are out, he is going to tackle. There is no dispute over that. It will be deemed if they think it’s OK to tackle that way.

Napa was not charged by the match review committee the last time around which drew criticism from Broncos boss Wayne Bennett while NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg also said Napa should have been charged.

Bennett labelled the decision as “most ridiculous situation I have seen” in May.

“I had a lot to say about it last time,” Bennett said.

“It’s now up to the NRL. Nothing to do with me.

“I stood up for my player then. I made my feelings known to everybody.”

Andrew McCullough failed to return after Dylan Napa’s hit. Picture: Getty Images
Andrew McCullough failed to return after Dylan Napa’s hit. Picture: Getty Images

McCullough suffered a heavy concussion and severe lacerations of the mouth but there are no fears of any fracture.

Any charge will be costly for Napa who has already been suspended twice this year. The 25-year-old has a lengthy judiciary record with seven charges since 2014 — all grade one offences.

Referee Gerard Sutton told Roosters co-skipper Jake Friend that “the onus is on (Napa) not to make any careless contact with the head.”

Friend questioned: “Even with his own head?”.

Former internationals Mal Meninga and Greg Alexander labelled the tackle “as dangerous”.

Alexander said there was little doubt Napa should be suspended.

“Absolutely it’s a technique problem,” Alexander said on Fox League.

“Dylan Napa loves to tackle with his left shoulder and he will always favour that.

“But for him to have his head ducked and launching himself head-first at a player with the footy, that’s dangerous.

“They gave him the benefit of the doubt in that one on Korbin Sims and it did break his jaw. Todd Greenberg came out after that and said the match review committee got it wrong — and after seeing that one again on Andrew McCullough and Korbin Sims, he’s got to be suspended.

“There’s got to be some sort of action taken on Dylan Napa and he needs to clean up his tackling technique.”

Broncos Tevita Pangai Jr is tackled by Roosters’ Luke Keary. Picture: AAP
Broncos Tevita Pangai Jr is tackled by Roosters’ Luke Keary. Picture: AAP

Brisbane’s victory — their second against a top four side in as many weeks — cements their top eight spot and ends the Wests Tigers’ slim hopes of a finals charge.

What it has done though is throw the top four wide open, with the Roosters able to finish anywhere from a minor premiership to outside the second chance spot. Melbourne will claim top spot with a win against Penrith on Friday night.

“I thought we were pretty good,” Bennett said.

“It’s the right time of year to be playing good footy.”

It is the first time the Roosters have lost consecutive games this season after a shock defeat to Canberra last week.

Luke Keary laid on the Roosters’ only try for Blake Ferguson before a Sio Siua Taukeiaho handling error from the ensuing set proved costly with the Broncos scoring three minutes later via Corey Oates.

The Broncos made the Roosters pay for Napa’s sin-binning when Jamayne Isaako scored before Kodi Nikorima to give Brisbane a 20-8 half-time lead.

Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell was sin-binned midway through the second half after coming from an offside position to deny the Broncos a try despite an apparent obstruction in the lead-up.

The Roosters weren’t severely punished this time around, conceding just a penalty goal.

Friend finished with 71 tackles — three short of Shaun Fensom’s NRL record.

BRISBANE 22 (J Isaako K Nikorima C Oates tries J Isaako 5 goals) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 8 (B Ferguson try L Mitchell 2 goals) at Allianz Stadium. Referee: Gerard Sutton, Peter Gough. Crowd: 13,263

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Originally published as Roosters enforcer Dylan Napa under fire for brutal hit

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