Crash Craddock: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s reckless State of Origin tackle on Reece Walsh was rugby league at its worst
As his profile grows, Reece Walsh faces the prospect of being shamelessly targeted each week, which is why Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s horror tackle was in some ways predictable, writes ROBERT “CRASH” CRADDOCK.
The annihilation of Reece Walsh was a shock in some ways and utterly predictable in others.
The mood in NSW before the match had a feverish “get Walsh’’ about it with Benny Elias and Mark Carroll labelling Walsh a lair and a series of stories published in the build-up about the Blues plan “to terrorise’’ the flashy fullback.
No problems at all with that. Welcome to Origin. But there has to be limits.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s reckless tackle on Walsh was rugby league at its worst. As his profile and reputation grows, Walsh faces the prospect of being shamelessly targeted each week.
That’s fine. It happens to the game’s best players. But the game has a duty of care to protect players when they are exposed like Walsh was.
Commentators debate whether the tackle was worth a send-off. Of course it was. Was it deliberate? No. Was it reckless. Absolutely.
He had to go and Suaalii will be lucky to play another State of Origin game in his career given his future in this series is in doubt then he is off to rugby union where they have even tougher rules about protecting the head.
Good luck with that one.
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