NRLW Round 1 news: Broncos rookie Ashleigh Werner sent off for alleged bite in Roosters clash
Brisbane rookie Ashleigh Werner is facing a ban that could cripple her NRLW season after being referred straight to the judiciary over a biting allegation.
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NRLW debutante Ashleigh Werner has been referred straight to the judiciary for a biting incident after the Brisbane winger became the first player sent off in the women’s competition.
Werner is now in danger of missing a large part of the nine-week NRLW season.
Werner was sent from the field after allegedly biting Sydney Roosters winger Jayme Fressard on the arm in Brisbane’s 36-18 loss on Saturday night.
While Werner was the first NRLW player to be sent off, she isn’t the first to face a biting charge.
St George Illawarra winger Madison Bartlett was banned for one week after pleading guilty to biting Parramatta playmaker Sereana Naitokatoka bicep in their round 2 clash last year.
The incident was also referred straight to the judiciary even though there was no official on-field complaint.
The NRL’s counsel had wanted Bartlett banned for 2-3 three weeks but the judiciary panel agreed on a one match ban, taking into consider the NRLW season only had five regular round games.
Replays showed Fressard wrapping her arm around Werner’s face when the Roosters flyer immediately motioned to her left arm, complaining to the referee that she had been bitten while on the ground.
The bunker agreed with Fressard’s complaint after looking at multiple replays, forcing referee Wyatt Raymond to give Werner her marching orders in the 53rd minute.
“The Bunker has reviewed it. The hand goes into the mouth and she clenches down on the hand so she’s off,” Raymond said.
In 2020, Gold Coast captain Kevin Proctor was hit with a four-week ban by the judiciary after he was found guilty of biting the arm of then Cronulla Sharks playmaker Shaun Johnson.
Former Canterbury forward James Graham was whacked with a lengthy ban in 2012 when he was found guilty of biting the ear of Melbourne Storm fullback Billy Slater in the grand final.
North Queensland centre Mia Middleton is also facing time on the sideline for a dangerous tackle on Titans winger Emily Bass.
Middleton is set to miss two games with an early plea for a grade two dangerous throw on Bass in Saturday’s 16-6 win over the Cowboys.
Roosters skipper Isabelle Kelly escaped any charge from the match review committee after she was placed on report for using her bumpers and hitting Brisbane centre Shenae Ciesiolka in the head.
The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley had put clubs on notice last week over the use ‘bumpers’ after a growing trend during the opening 20 rounds of the men’s competition.
“Match review data from the 2023 Telstra Premiership has shown a concerning trend of players in possession of the ball leading with their forearms and making dangerous contact with the head or neck of defenders,” Annesley told clubs.
“Clearly, when attacking players raise and extend a forearm as they approach defenders, it significantly increases the risk of making dangerous contact to the head or neck at the point of impact.”
Kelly was involved in a scary incident during the first game of the women’s State of Origin when Queensland’s Julia Robinson collected the NSW centre in the throat.
Kelly was hospitalised and spent time in the intensive care unit as a result of the dangerous hit.
Robinson’s raised elbow strike cost her the chance to play in the second Origin match after she was banned for a week on a grade two dangerous contact charge.
Brisbane’s Tazmin Gray also escaped any punishment for a crusher tackle on Roosters centre Jess Sergis after she was put on report in Saturday’s loss.
NRLW ROOKIE SENT OFF OVER ALLEGED BITE
By Martin Gabor
The opening round of the NRLW has been rocked by the competition’s first send off after Broncos rookie Ashleigh Werner was marched for an alleged bite on Roosters winger Jayme Fressard in her side’s 36-18 loss on Saturday night.
Fressard had her left arm around Werner’s face and immediately reeled away and complained to the referee that she had been bitten midway through the second half.
The Bunker looked at several replays and could see that Werner had bitten her rival, leaving the referee with no choice but to send her off.
“The Bunker has reviewed it. The hand goes into the mouth and she clenches down on the hand so she’s off,” referee Wyatt Raymond said.
Werner, a former bobsleigh athlete, was making her NRLW debut and will now likely be referred directly to the NRLW judiciary.
“From the vision, it doesn’t look that good, but any time an arm or a hand is around someone’s head and in contact with the teeth, knowing from experience it actually feels like someone is maybe actually biting you,” Broncos coach Scott Prince said.
“It is a contact game, and any time you hit the mouth you feel like you’ve been bitten. We’ll have to have a look and find out what the go is in terms of what the accusation is from Fressard.”
While Prince wasn’t convinced it was a bite, Fressard was adamant about what happened.
You don't see this very often...
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) July 22, 2023
Ashleigh Werner was sent off on her NRLW debut for biting Jayme Fressard!
📺 Watch #NRLWBroncosRoosters on ch.507 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/JFFu9aqOLQ
🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/pp3IS0kN8tpic.twitter.com/EjFkNFpTmP
“Frezzy’s arm has got a few teeth marks in it,” Roosters coach John Strange said.
“She’s not too happy (about the incident) but we’ll leave that up to the judiciary to deal with that. It’s unfortunate that happened in the game, but Frezzy is okay.
“There are teeth marks in her arm, so I’m not sure if the mouth guard is shaped like teeth. There’s a fair bit of blood and teeth marks.”
Werner isn’t the only player facing a nervous wait after Roosters skipper Isabelle Kelly was placed on report for lifting her bumpers and hitting Shenae Ciesiolka in the head.
Kelly was the victim of a similar incident in the women’s State of Origin opener when Julia Robinson collected her in the throat which saw her sent to the intensive care unit.
Brisbane’s Tazmin Gray is also on report for a crusher tackle on Jess Sergis while the Broncos could be without Robinson after she suffered a hamstring injury.
ROOSTERS FLYING HIGH
All the talk has been on the four expansion clubs, but it was a couple of the original NRLW teams who stole the show with the Roosters outlasting Brisbane in the best game in competition history.
After going through the 2022 regular season undefeated only to bow out in the semis, the Roosters somehow look even stronger with their new recruits shining and the returning Corban Baxter slotting back in like she never left.
Baxter scored two tries off wonderfully worked set plays, while Jocelyn Kelleher showed there’s life after Raecene McGregor and Zahara Temara, nailing a 40/30 and controlling things in her new role at halfback.
GRAY SHINES
They sensationally missed out on the finals last year and have lost several key players, but there is a lot to like about the Broncos this season after taking it to a team many people believe will go all the way.
Fresh from winning the Nellie Doherty Medal as the best player in the women’s State of Origin series, back-rower Tazmin Gray proved to be a handful again with two quick tries to revive the Broncos after they found themselves down 18-0.
Brisbane’s left edge looks lethal this year with new recruit Mele Hufanga announcing herself as the league’s latest cult hero after she backed up her stunning World Cup campaign for New Zealand with another destructive display at centre.
Skipper Ali Brigginshaw also starred in her return to the halves, scoring a sensational chip and chase try just before half-time while she also smashed former halves partner Tarryn Aiken who was outstanding in her Roosters debut.
UTTER CARNAGE: BLOOD FLOWS AFTER SICKENING HEAD CLASH
The Knights kicked off their premiership defence with a 32-16 win over the Dragons who stormed home in the second half but had the comeback thwarted by Newcastle young gun Jesse Southwell.
St George Illawarra cut the gap to 10 points thanks to two tries in three minutes before the teen sensation put on a trademark right foot step to cut through to seal the result.
It wasn’t the most clinical performance from the defending premiers, but they can take plenty of confidence from the fact that their first three tries came from forwards in a sign they’ve moved on from the loss of superstar Millie Boyle who is now at the Roosters.
This was not a fun watch for the people who hate the sight of blood and fingers pointing in unnatural directions.
It all started when Tayla Predebon crashed over for the opening try but then had to leave the field with an ugly finger dislocation, and it only got worse.
Southwell copped one in the ribs after she passed the ball, former sevens star Tyla Nathan-Wong came off for an HIA, while there was a sickening head clash in the first half that saw Laishon Albert-Jones ruled out of the game after both she and Rima Butler had blood pouring out of their respective wounds.
TITANS SUFFER MASSIVE INJURY BLOW IN COSTLY WIN
The Titans have ruled out an Achilles injury for star recruit Taliah Fuimaono after she was helped from the field in the Gold Coast’s 16-6 win over the Cowboys in the NRLW season opener.
The biggest season on record kicked off with plenty of drama, with North Queensland’s Mia Middleton placed on report and sent to the sin bin for a dangerous lifting tackle on Emily Bass that forced the rep star off with a suspected collarbone injury.
That came just five minutes after Fuimaono limped from the field in the hands of trainers after she pulled up without any contact, although the club is confident that it’s not a season-ending Achilles injury.
“It looks like it’s an ankle injury, but the extent of it, I’m not too sure at this point,” Titans coach Karyn Murphy said.
The Jillaroos star is one of their most important players and showed off her skills with a classy line-break early in the second half before, but it was a Titans veteran who stole the show with Evania Pelite putting in a performance for the ages.
The World Cup winner spent time in the centres last year but returned to fullback where she scored a stunning solo try to put the Titans in front to go with 201 running metres, 14 tackle busts and an epic try-saving tackle to deny Shaniah Power.
“She was massive today,” Murphy said.
It was a brave effort from NRLW newcomers North Queensland who opened the scoring through former Knight Emma Manzelmann, while Krystal Blackwell came up with an incredible chase to force an error out of Destiny Mino-Sinapati over the line.
They were in the fight until the final few minutes when Gold Coast’s Zara Canfield broke their hearts with a try from a quick tap.
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