Will Chambers sledging: Cronulla Sharks centre slammed Matt Lodge over criminal history, family

Will Chambers targeted brothers-in-law Matt Lodge and Sean O’Sullivan with a sustained verbal barrage that proved too much for at least three Warriors players.

Sharks veteran Will Chambers.

Vicious barbs directed at Matt Lodge’s criminal history and his family were the catalyst for several New Zealand Warriors players targeting serial sledger Will Chambers during their spiteful clash with Cronulla last weekend.

News Corp Australia can reveal the “very personal” sledges Chambers aimed at Lodge and his teammate and brother-in-law Sean O’Sullivan that resulted in four Warriors incidents against the Sharks centre being put on report that cost the side four weeks in suspensions.

According to sources at both clubs, Chambers kickstarted the war of words that would lead to prop Kane Evans being twice sin-binned twice for attempting to punch Chambers in response to the verbal barrage that began in the 10th minute of the match.

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Having been awarded a penalty after being collected high, Chambers is alleged to have told Lodge: “You shouldn’t even be on the field. You should be in jail for what you have done.”

The comment was in reference to an incident that occurred in New York in 2015, where Lodge was arrested at gunpoint following a violent home invasion. He pleaded guilty to reckless assault and was sentenced to community service and treatment for anger and alcohol abuse in Australia, but avoided jail time.

Sharks centre Will Chambers had a verbal battle with several Warriors players last weekend.

It also prompted a reaction from Warriors halfback O'Sullivan, who is also Lodge’s brother-in-law.

While not clear what O'Sullivan said to attract Chambers’ attention, sources from both teams confirmed the Sharks centre continued to centre his sledging around Lodge’s personal life.

“Don’t worry about me,” Chambers is alleged to have said to O'Sullivan before pointing towards Lodge. “Worry about what that bloke is doing to your sister.”

Lodge did not react to the comment about his New York incident or the comment about his marriage to O'Sullivan’s sister Jessica, but Evans admitted that the sledging lit the fuse for the two attempted punches he threw in the 34th minute.

“Sometimes things happen on the field when things are said,” Evans said.

“Sometimes they are directly and other times that are said indirectly. And sometimes people react. I just want to move on. I am going to leave it all on the field.”

The Warriors players’ reactions to Chambers’ antics have proven costly, with Lodge suspended for two matches for a high tackle, while Evans and winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak will both miss Sunday’s match against last-placed Canterbury after copping one-match bans.

O’Sullivan attempted to play down the incident this week while revealing Evans had apologised to teammates for being sin-binned.

“I think Kano might have lost his head a little bit there and I am sure if he had the chance again he might like to do things a little bit differently,” O’Sullivan told NRL.com.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve and that’s a decision that he made at the time, in the heat of the moment.”

Speculation has been rife about what Chambers said to attract attention for the second week in a row, with News Corp earlier this week revealing he had made attempts to verbally intimidate 18-year-old Viliame Vailea, who was playing only his second game for the Warriors.

Chambers’ actions prompted Warriors boss Cameron George to slam the former international’s comments as “very personal”.

“I am privy to what was said out there and I don’t approve of that,” George said this week.

Matthew Lodge in action against the Cronulla Sharks. Picture: NRL PhotosS

“There is a line you don’t cross and from the feedback I have got, that was crossed. It was very, very, very personal from what I have been told.

“I understand the art of sledging and what it is designed to do. For the second week in a row he’s caused a bit of drama. If that is the way he wants to play, that’s his call. He hasn’t won any games has he?

“He got fined $1500 for throwing a boot into the grandstand. I understand it and I generally don’t have a problem with it. When it crosses the line, I don’t approve. For the last two weeks, it has been notable it hasn’t helped his side win a game.”

Lodge, who spent time in New York’s infamous Rikers Island prison following his New York arrest, was cleared to resume his NRL career in 2018.

Chambers has been dropped from the Sharks’ team for this weekend’s clash against Newcastle, although coach Josh Hannay said that was because of poor form, not because of his sledging.

Cronulla have slumped from seventh to 10th following consecutive losses to Manly and New Zealand, which both coincided with Chambers’ verbal battles, and are in a battle for a finals place.