‘Easy decision’: NRL stands by decision to send Karl Lawton off for tackle on Cameron Murray

Karl Lawton has accepted a four-match ban for his dangerous throw on South Sydney Rabbitohs star Cam Murray.

Karl Lawton’s tackle was a major talking point in round 8. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The NRL’s football boss Graham Annesley says match officials made the right call sending Karl Lawton from the field for laying a spear tackle on Rabbitohs forward Cameron Murray during round 8.

Karl Lawton will miss the Manly Sea Eagles’ next four games after accepting the early guilty plea for his grade 3 dangerous throw charge on Monday.

The tackle divided rugby league pundits over the weekend; Melbourne Storm legend Cameron Smith was among those to question why a player had been sent off for an unintentional spear tackle.

“I thought 10 minutes in the bin would’ve been sufficient,” Smith told Channel 9.

“I don’t think he had any intent at all to drop him on his head. That’s a tackle that’s gone wrong.”

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Karl Lawton is given his marching orders. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

But at his weekly briefing on Monday, Annesley said sending Lawton off was “an easy decision” for the match officials regardless of the intent behind the tackle.

“There’s no doubt that he didn’t intend for that tackle to finish the way it finished,” Annesley said.

“But it has the potential for catastrophic outcomes. So even though players don’t intend to do some of these things, the game’s got a responsibility a) to protect the players on the field and b) to ensure that these things are taken seriously enough that the players think about their actions.”

Annesley said by punishing illegal moves harshly, the NRL would motivate players to rectify any problems with their tackle technique.

“If there are technique issues involved, and I’m not suggesting there is in Karl’s instance, but if there were, players work on these things to try and make sure that they don’t happen again,” he said.

“We don’t want to see any of those sorts of tackles repeated in our game.”

Graham Annesley said Lawton deserved to be sent off. Picture: AAP Image/James Gourley

A day after Lawton’s tackle, Canberra Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton conceded a penalty for a dangerous throw but was permitted to stay on the field.

Annesley said while Wighton’s tackle may have appeared similar to Lawton’s on the surface, there was a key difference between the two.

He said it was easier for referees to assess the severity of illegal tackles made by only one defender, but in Wighton’s case, there was another Raider in the tackle.

“It’s much more difficult for the match officials to quickly assess those types of tackles,” he said.

“In some cases, the match review committee will take a considerable amount of time to determine not only the contribution of the player who gets charged but also the contribution of anyone else who’s involved in the tackle.

“I have some sympathy for the match officials in trying to process all of that very quickly and come up with the right decision in terms of what action should be taken (on field).

“In relation to the Karl Lawton one, I think it was quite an easy decision for the match officials to make because he’s the only one involved in the tackle.”

Wighton will miss two games for his role in the tackle on Reece Walsh.

Annesley said Wighton’s tackle was different from Lawton’s. Picture: Fox

Dangerous throws have become rarer in the modern game since the NRL began cracking down on them in the early 2000s.

Lawton was the first player to be sent off for a dangerous throw since 2019. He will miss upcoming clashes with the Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos, Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm.

Originally published as ‘Easy decision’: NRL stands by decision to send Karl Lawton off for tackle on Cameron Murray