NRL Casualty Ward: Dragons, Sharks and Cowboys all set to face judiciary

The NRL Judiciary will be a busy place once again with a host of charges already laid in round 11 while a Storm star’s injury is worse than first thought.

Reed Mahoney (L) is firming for an Origin debut following the latest injury news from Harry Grant.

The NRL’s player safety blitz has again claimed a host of players with six people charged following two matches on Friday night.

The Sharks and the Dragons golden point thriller resulted in five players being charged while Eliesa Katoa of the Warriors was the only player hit with a match review committee offence from the match against the Wests Tigers.

St George Illawarra duo Paul Vaughan and Josh Kerr were hit with offences with Kerr’s grade one shoulder charge offence meaning he will spend one or two weeks on the sideline.

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Paul Vaughan of the Dragons is sent to the sin-bin by referee Ben Cummins. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Vaughan’s grade one careless high tackle charge – which he was sin-binned for after collecting Will Chambers – will be a $1600 fine.

Cronulla trio Josh Dugan, Mawene Hiroti and Teig Wilton have not been so lucky with each player facing a one or two game ban for various offences.

Outside backs Dugan and Hiroti were hit with respective grade two careless high tackle charges while Wilton – a grade one crusher tackle on Vaughan. Dugan is a 100 points for an early guilty plea but 150 if he fights the charge and losses.

His teammates have a base penalty of 150 points but will miss two games if they fight the chargers and lose.

Katoa will need to pay $1600 for a dangerous throw tackle on Wests Tigers back-rower Luciano Leilua.

Jason Taumalolo of the Cowboys spent ten in the bin and will likely miss a week too. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

COWBOYS PAY A LOLO PRICE FOR VICTORY

North Queensland’s win over Newcastle has come at a cost, with skipper Jason Taumalolo facing a spell on the sidelines alongside teammate Lachlan Burr.

Taumalolo has been hit with a grade two careless tackle charge for his shot on Knights forward Tyson Frizell.

The Cowboys star was sin-binned for the tackle in his side’s 36-20 win Thursday night, and now faces a week out with an early guilty plea – or two weeks if he fights the charge at the NRL judiciary and loses. Burr faces a one-week ban for a grade one careless tackle charge.

GRANT’S ORIGIN UPDATE A WIN FOR MAHONEY

Parramatta hooker Reed Mahoney is firming for a Queensland Origin debut following confirmation from incumbent No. 9 Harry Grant that he is unlikely to play before teams go into camp for the blockbuster series opener on June 9.

Speaking on SEN breakfast radio on Friday, Grant conceded he could now be out for “a few extra weeks, maybe four weeks” with the hamstring injury suffered during the Storm’s 50-nil walloping of South Sydney in Round 9.

Under that timeline, the Rockhampton product would not play until at least Round 13, after the Origin sides were named and in camp.

Coach Wayne Bennett and Harry Grant celebrate after Queensland clinched the 2020 Origin series. Picture: Peter Wallis

While initially there were hopes Grant would miss no more than a fortnight, he has now suggested the lay-off could be twice as long

“I just don’t want to rush it and overdo it,” Grant told the ‘Breakfast with Garry & Tim’ program. “So I think I’ll probably look at a few extra weeks, maybe four weeks.

“(With Origin) it’s unfortunate timing.

“I would love to be playing and pushing my case to get selected again, but it is what it is.

“I haven’t dwelled on it too much

“If I’m lucky enough to get picked it will be another great opportunity to play at the MCG. Not everyone gets to play there and it would be a cool experience.

“But I haven’t dwelled on it too much that I’m out at the moment.”

Apart from being restricted to training with the Storm rehab group, Grant admitted coach Craig Bellamy had also banned him from his other favoured pastime, surfing.

Reed Mahoney of the Eels looks set to realise his Origin ambitions. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“Bellyache put a stop to that,” he laughed. “Reckons he’ll pop up in the water so I’m not game.”

Grant’s revelation comes only days after Queensland Origin great Cameron Smith publicly pushed for Eels rake Mahoney to wear the Maroons No. 9 against NSW in Origin I.

While the Storm young gun starred in his debut series last season, injuries have limited him to just five games this year, with all but one of them off the bench.

Mahoney, meanwhile, has been outstanding for a Parramatta outfit that currently sits second on the NRL ladder.
“The big question is ‘is Harry going to be fit?’,” Smith said.
“There’s two more games before the first Origin teams are selected and we all know how delicate hamstrings are and the way team physios and doctors treat them.
“Will Harry get to play another game before Origin and will he be fit for that high-intensity arena?
“Reed has played every game and is playing really well. The stats back up his performances.
“You’d probably start with Reed. He is a tough little bugger. He doesn’t mind getting involved in tackles. He’s made 60-odd tackles plenty of times in his career.
“He’s got great service from dummy-half, a pretty good running game and kicking game. He’s got all the threats.”

Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Storm receives medical attention after a heavy shot to his head in Round 10. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Grant also spoke about the concussion concerns around Melbourne fullback and NSW Origin hopeful Ryan Papenhuyzen, who is also out of Saturday night’s clash with Canberra at GIO Stadium.

“He (Papenhuyzen) is going all right,” the hooker said. “He’s probably just a bit shaken up.

“He had a bad concussion a few years ago where he missed a little bit of time.

“He played it safe then and had a little bit of time off, so it could be a similar scenario where he has a bit of time on the sidelines.

“But hopefully not because Origin is just around the corner and in my books he would’ve been a shoe-in on the bench for NSW, if he wasn’t starting.

“So hopefully things can improve pretty quick and he will be right for Origin.”

Originally published as NRL Casualty Ward: Dragons, Sharks and Cowboys all set to face judiciary