The Tackle Round 4: Tim Sheens must stop mind games on John Bateman
You’d think at 72 Tim Sheens would know how NRL works. But someone needs to tip the veteran coach that his mind games are doing the Tigers more harm than good.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Paul Crawley reveals his highlights and lowlights from NRL Round 4 in The Tackle.
From Tim Sheens’ out-of-touch antics, to Anthony Griffin’s fading job prospects, to a litany of questionable calls.
Plus scroll down for this week’s Dally M voting and the Round 4 leaderboard.
ROUND 3 DISLIKES
SHEENS NEEDS TO STOP BATEMAN MIND GAMES
Someone needs to tip to Tim Sheens that this silly little game he keeps playing in respect to John Bateman’s fitness is not doing the Englishman or Wests Tigers any good.
Fair dinkum, what is Sheens trying to hide, and why is he creating the so-called misreporting that seems to be getting him so worked up?
After weeks of denying an injury was the reason Bateman missed the start of the season, Sheens has now conceded that the back-rower does need scans and probably shouldn’t have returned for the second half in the loss to Melbourne.
But when asked what the issue was, Sheens said: “I’d prefer not to say to be quite honest.”
Seriously, if you want the media to report the truth then stop playing mind games.
It’s not that big a deal.
You’d think at 72 Sheens would have worked out by now you create your own headlines in this game.
And refusing to give up the details is not going to result in people just ignoring that something is wrong with the star Englishman.
BUNKER SHOCKER CAN'T TAKE HEAT OFF GRIFFIN
One rotten Bunker decision is not the reason Anthony Griffin is fighting to save his job.
The reason Griffin will go into round five taking on Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins as the NRL’s most under pressure coach is because his team continues to fold like cheap deck chairs.
Yes the Dragons were robbed by a shocking Bunker call leading up to halftime in the embarrassing 40-8 defeat to Cronulla (watch video above).
But that aside the Dragons still had more than a full half of football to fight back and instead they went to water.
Just like they did the previous week against the Broncos when they fought hard for 70 minutes and then threw in the towel.
Last week they were outscored by 30 points in the second half.
This time it was by 28 points in the local derby.
Their fans had every right to go home feeling completely ashamed.
What also can’t be ignored is that this is Griffin’s third year in the hot seat and not even his most passionate supporters could argue the Dragons are heading in a more positive direction on his watch.
In comparison you look at how far the Sharks have come under Craig Fitzgibbon in a little over a season and you can understand completely why the Dragons board owe it to their long suffering fans to go out actively searching for a new coach.
FORWARD PASS CALL ROBBED MANLY
Here’s another example of the game giving itself a black eye for match defining blunders that are completely avoidable.
The so-called forward pass that robbed Manly of a crucial try to Tom Trbojevic just should not happen in the modern game when TV replays only highlight what a bloody rotten decision it was.
Surely Peter V’landys can ring Graham Annesley this week and just say enough is enough and demand that the Bunker be allowed to rule on blatant bad calls when it comes to what constitutes a forward pass and what doesn’t.
We don’t have to wait for technology to get approved by NASA that conclusively makes every call fool proof.
Let’s just fix the howlers for now with a bit of common sense.
Greg Alexander said on Fox Sports as soon as it happened that the pass from Brad Parker to Josh Schuster was good and referee Chris Sutton got it wrong.
Yet it can’t be fixed because the NRL wants to continue to live in the dark ages.
Our online poll had 77 per cent of almost 1500 votes saying Manly was duded.
Yet a call like that is still allowed to leave a black stain on such a tremendous weekend of rugby league.
CIRALDO MUST MAKE FIRST BIG CALL
Shaun Johnson’s show-and-go try to steal victory for the Warriors showed the Bulldogs exactly what they are missing – a halfback who is prepared to take on the line.
Johnson is playing his best footy in years.
But is it time for Cameron Ciraldo to make the tough call on Kyle Flanagan? And if Josh Reynolds is not the answer then maybe it’s time to give whiz kid Karl Oloapu the No.7 jersey against North Queensland on Sunday.
Reynolds played five-eighth and Oloapu halfback for the Dogs’ NSW Cup team on Sunday, with the youngster scoring a nice solo try and running for 107m.
While there might be questions about his defence, Oloapu’s threat in attack could be the X-factor the Bulldogs are missing.
Everyone knows what a wonderful attacking player Matt Burton is. He ended up with eight runs for 54m while Flanagan finished with two runs for eight metres and never looked a threat.
Greg Alexander said post match on Fox: “On the Dogs attack it was Matt Burton and not much else … they’ve got a seven that doesn’t run the ball, they’ve got a one (Hayze Perham) that doesn’t pass”.
And it can’t be left to Reed Mahoney to try and barge over from dummy half to win the game.
The Dogs deserve credit for the way they played to beat Melbourne and the Tigers in recent weeks. But this showed why they are not yet in the conversation to be realistic top eight challengers.
RISING CONFUSION ON DANGEROUS PLAY
The NRL should be compelled by rugby league law to hand out headache tablets with the match review charge sheets.
On the back of what happened last week relating to Felise Kaufusi, how on earth can they now justify giving Junior Paulo and Jeremiah Nanai two-to-three-week bans when the Dolphins enforcer copped four matches?
And even though Parramatta prop Paulo was sent to the sin bin at a crucial time and did not return for golden point for his shot on young Panther Zac Hosking, that still doesn’t cut the mustard.
Because a send off would have sent a far stronger statement that these dangerous high tackles will not be tolerated.
Are we serious about getting on top of the concussion injuries, or just when it suits?
The same goes with Nanai’s dangerous throw on Titans winger Phillip Sami.
That could have easily ended in a catastrophic injury.
No one is saying Nanai set out to intentionally injure Sami, that’s not the point.
But the tackle was awfully dangerous, and it was pure luck Sami walked away.
Yet now they tell us that only warranted a grade one charge which will see Nanai sidelined for two games if he pleads guilty or three if he fights the case at the judiciary and loses.
Meanwhile, Paulo copped a grade two but can get off with two games if he pleads guilty or three if he fights the charge and loses.
There is no way anyone can tell me either of those tackles were not worse than Kaufusi’s, that made no contact with Jackson Hastings’ head and was only marginally late.
That’s without even mentioning the inconsistencies that were at play with Kaufusi’s charge last week in respect to Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii only getting a grade one charge when Kaufusi was hit with a grade two.
No wonder fans are getting really fed up.
SUAALII SHOULD BE BLACKLISTED FROM ORIGIN
If Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii wants to chase the riches of rugby union good luck to him.
But surely it’s now rugby league’s responsibility to look after its own backyard.
And that should start with NSW coach Brad Fittler blacklisting the young Sydney Roosters mercenary from State of Origin before Suaalii leaves the NRL in 2025.
But when Fittler spoke about it on Channel Nine’s Sunday Footy Show he seemed absolutely certain he would have no issue picking Suaalii.
“We pick the teams in eight weeks’ time and if he is available in eight weeks he will be considered,” Fittler said.
With respect to Freddy, this shouldn’t be about the coach staying sweet with all the players.
This is about doing what’s right by the game.
At the time the then 18-year-old was obviously picked on potential and what he could add in years to come.
He should not be handed the same opportunity this time around.
There is no way the NRL can compete with that sort of money under the salary cap system.
But what the game can do is take away the opportunity for Suaalii to earn over and above his current Roosters salary.
Origin players last year earned $15,000-a-game to represent their respective states.
That money should go to a player who wants to commit to the NRL long term.
We had the argument last year that players who chose to play for Tier Two nations like Samoa, Tonga and Fiji at the World Cup should not be excluded from playing Origin.
That was a completely different debate to what we have here because it was about growing the international game.
The reports are Suaalii stands to earn $1.6 million when he makes the switch which could go up to $2 million the following year.
This is about lining the pockets of a modern day sporting gun for hire.
As it stands Suaalii would not be in the top 22 players available for NSW on the form he has showed so far this year.
If all players were available for NSW selection Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic would be the Blues centres and Brian To’o and Josh Addo-Carr the wings.
If there is an issue with any of them there are plenty of options other than Suaalii to fill the void.
Jack Wighton, Matt Burton, Campbell Graham and Kotoni Staggs are other centre contenders.
You could also pick Graham on the wing, while Daniel Tupou, Nick Cotric, Reuben Garrick and Alex Johnston would all do the job.
The game should not be rewarding mercenaries.
ROUND 3 LIKES
WHY NRL WILL ALWAYS BE BIGGER THAN ONE MAN
If another outstanding round of rugby league proved one thing it is that the NRL will survive without Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii or whoever else comes and goes in years to come.
Just as it did years ago when the likes of Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuquiri, Mat Rogers, Sonny Bill Williams, Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt all moved to so-called greener pastures.
And on a weekend when Suaalii’s Roosters had the bye, it just highlighted how much talent is actually out there with the likes of Nathan Cleary, Nicho Hynes, Mitchell Moses, Adam Reynolds, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Reece Walsh, Daly Cherry-Evans, Cody Walker and Lachlan Ilias all coming up with some spine tingling moments of pure magic.
MOSES OUTPOINTS CLEARY
Nathan Cleary’s field goal to send the grand final rematch into extra time was about as good a clutch play as we’ve ever seen.
Up with the greatest from the likes of Cooper Cronk, Ricky Stuart, Johnathan Thurston and Darren Lockyer.
But the way Moses responded to seal Parramatta’s crucial victory was equally special given the circumstances surrounding the news of Moses taking up his rich contract extension at the Eels.
That showed Moses is more than capable of owning the big moments and Parra’s premiership window is well and truly still open.
EELS UNSUNG HERO
On a night when the gun playmakers stole the spotlight, what about the effort up front from the Eels’ bookends Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo?
After getting dominated by the Panthers’ middle men led by Moses Leota in last year’s grand final, the Eels big boppers responded with RCG charging for 221m from 24 runs while Paulo finished with 185m from 18 runs.
In comparison Leota had five runs for 41m and James Fisher-Harris eight for 65m. Where the Panthers excelled was through ever reliable No.1 Dylan Edwards who had 23 runs for 236m and wing sensation Sunia Turuva who had a game-high 263m from 24 runs.
BILLY’S BIG CALL TO REPLACE PONGA
It remains to be seen if Kalyn Ponga will be back in time to put his hand up to play for Queensland this year.
But if he doesn’t Billy Slater doesn’t have any shortage of contenders to fill the No.1 jumper.
How good was Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in a beaten side when he ran for 186m compared to Reece Walsh’s 66, although Walsh still came up with some big plays that again highlighted what a special talent he is.
Then you’ve got a guy like AJ Brimson for the Titans who turns up week in week out with a performance that surely rates him up in the top five fullbacks in the game today.
But Hammer is also fast closing in on the game’s elite with performances for the Dolphins so far that way exceed what most of us thought he was capable of after Wayne Bennett missed out on Ponga.
Sure, it’s only early days but the former Cowboy is showing why he could end up one of the game’s best in years to come.
It’s not only his speed but his silky skills and feel for the game, while his courage under fire is hugely underrated. While most would probably say that Queensland fullback spot right now is Walsh’s to lose, Hammer and Brimson are showing this is not a one-man race.
ILIAS OWNS HIS MOMENT IN HISTORY
On a night when everyone thought the battle of the superstar fullbacks Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic would be the main event, it was absolutely spine tingling the way young Lachlan Ilias stood up and stole the spotlight with that wonderful golden point field goal that will live in the memories of Souths fans for decades to come.
And in a match where the Bunnies were playing in honour of the memory of the late great John Sattler, it was fitting a modern day warrior like Cameron Murray played himself to a standstill racking up 50 tackles, while Damien Cook was equally inspiring with his 48 and still having the energy to nail that pass to Ilias for the match winner.
We also wanted to mention Jake Trbojevbic who finished with a phenomenal 48 tackles playing at prop. What a great game of footy it was.
Watch: Polarising bunker call that triggered ex-NRL coach to AFL switch
It was the bunker call so triggering a former NRL coach turned off the Cronulla-North Queensland semi-final in favour for the AFL. MICHAEL CARAYANNIS dissects the decision that changed the trajectory of the do-or-die clash.
‘Pretty sad’: NRL ‘should be embarrassed’
In a battle of the footy codes on Friday night in Sydney, the AFL has claimed a huge victory in the heart of the rugby league world.