NRL Tackle: Paul Crawley’s likes and dislikes, Broncos star’s diving disgrace ruin great contest
South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou should make a note never to switch Latrell Mitchell’s position again – and here is the evidence.
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Paul Crawley runs the rule over Round 20 of the NRL season, revealing his Likes and Dislikes in The Tackle column.
DISLIKES
LATRELL’S FAILED SWITCH COSTS BUNNIES
South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou should make a note never to move Latrell Mitchell into the centres again, regardless of who gets injured.
It’s hard to believe a couple of years back there was a huge debate about whether Mitchell should even be playing at fullback.
We can safely say that has now been well and truly put to bed.
Demetriou’s decision backfired badly in the golden point loss to Cronulla when Mitchell was locked out of the game in the second half.
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It came after Souths were forced to do a backline reshuffle after losing Jed Cartwright.
Demetriou initially put Kodi Nikorima at left centre before switching him with Mitchell for the second half.
You can understand it at Origin level when James Tedesco is wearing the No.1 jumper.
But what a waste watching Mitchell stand out there getting starved in a game so crucial to Souths’ top four hopes.
It must be said Mitchell hardly looked interested in the first half either, only having two runs for 20m.
He eventually finished with six runs for 59m and a try.
The week before he only had eight runs for 64m but came up with three try assists.
Mitchell is never going to be a Tedesco or Dylan Edwards type fullback that has 20-plus runs a game.
But at least playing fullback gives him more opportunity to inject himself when the moment is right.
DIVING NOT IN SPIRIT OF THE GAME
Kurt Capewell won his team the penalty taking a dive after wearing a high shot from Jackson Hastings.
But the respected Brisbane backrower did not do himself or the game a service staying down to milk the penalty.
It’s just not in the spirit of the game.
The incident occurred with the Broncos trailing 24-12 with just over a quarter of the match to go.
There is no doubt Capewell wore a high shot.
But it was another poor look when he got up smiling and joking.
No wonder Hastings and Adam Doueihi were ropeable, although you can’t condone Doueihi trying to drag Capewell to his feet.
It’s just a shame the players can’t stand as one on this and get rid of the practice, which is really getting out of hand.
To think NRL fans used to poke fun at soccer players for their diving antics.
SHOCKING CONFUSION OVER FOUL PLAY PENALTIES
It’s impossible to have faith in the NRL’s process when it comes to the massive disconnect between game day officials and the match review committee in respect to punishment for dangerous and foul play.
We had several shocking incidents over the weekend that have resulted in more widespread confusion in relation to what constitutes a sin bin, a send off, a fine, no suspension or a big suspension.
Let’s start with Pat Carrigan’s nasty hip drop tackle that left Wests Tigers’ Jackson Hastings with a fractured ankle that now requires surgery and has ended his season.
How in the hell was the Brisbane lock not sin binned when the match review panel has now referred the incident straight to the judiciary, meaning Carrigan is facing a long stint on the sidelines?
If Hastings wasn’t so badly injured it wouldn’t have even drawn a penalty on the night until the bunker review showed how bad it actually was.
But still Carrigan stayed on the field.
It’s just mind-boggling.
BIG NELSON NRL’S LUCKIEST MAN
Equally outrageous was how Melbourne enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona didn’t even cop a charge for his shocking forearm to the head of Warriors dummy half Wayde Egan.
This was as ugly as it gets, with Andrew Johns declaring it was worth “four months”.
But not so much as a fine when the charge sheet came out.
It’s ludicrous.
You can’t help but wonder if the NRL has made Asofa-Solomona a protected species. Either that or he is the game’s luckiest serial offender.
He had two separate charges the previous week (that both resulted in a fine), and another the week before (that was also a fine).
This week he doesn’t even get a fine, just walks free for a tackle that will require Egan to visit the dentist this week to repair two cracked teeth.
Johns is usually on the players’ side when it comes to these matters, but this time he was blowing up.
“It’s laughable,” Johns told Nine.
“There was nothing but an intent to hurt him.”
Unbelievable that this act is considered totally acceptable in the @NRL.@storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s skull crusher on Wayde Egan goes unpunished. Just a penalty.
— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) July 30, 2022
Sick. pic.twitter.com/4XkIkpKCMo
MANLY ROOKIE ESCAPES BIN AS BURGESS SENT OFF
The other foul play incident that should have been sin binned involved Manly rookie Alfred Smalley, who almost decapitated Sam Verrills.
The Roosters hooker never dipped, never stepped, he just got smashed with a blatant high shot right on the melon.
But no, it wasn’t worthy of a sin bin either.
You couldn’t help but think it was a sympathy vote after the week that was at Manly.
Then the flip side was that Souths’ Tom Burgess got sent off for a high shot on Cronulla’s Ronaldo Mulitalo that was no worse and even got the same grade two careless tackle charge.
It’s just inconsistencies that causes confusion across the board.
The one they did get right was the send off of Nathan Cleary for his dangerous tackle on Dylan Brown. Cleary has now copped the five weeks which was the correct penalty.
ROOSTERS ENFORCER WALKS A FINE LINE
It wasn’t in the same ballpark as the Nelson Asofa-Solomona forearm on young Fulton.
But Roosters hard man Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was also lucky not to be binned for shoving his forearm in the face of Manly rookie Zac Fulton.
That could have easily caused a nasty injury as well.
How or why the bunker didn’t step in is mystifying, as was JWH escaping with a $3000 fine.
Are they really serious about stamping out foul play?
Andrew Voss said in Fox League commentary that is what you used to call a welcome to first grade moment.
Let’s be fair dinkum, if that happened in years gone by it would have caused an all-in brawl.
DRAGONS’ TREATMENT OF SLOAN A WASTE OF TALENT
What is Dragons coach Anthony Griffin thinking leaving Tyrell Sloan on the bench until it is too late to save the game against the Cowboys?
This kid has been a wasted talent all season and it just makes you scratch your head in disbelief.
Look at the way Todd Payten is bringing through his young guns at the Cowboys, and yet the Dragons treat a kid as talented as Sloan with such contempt.
That loss to the Cowboys might end up costing the Dragons their hopes of making the top eight this season.
If they had given Sloan a crack earlier in the game, who knows?
These Dragons players can’t be accused of not having a crack but their attack is just too pedestrian. That was a really significant loss for the Dragons after a week when Griffin was fighting to prove to the club why he should keep his job.
LIKES
MADDEN IS READY TO TAKE OVER FROM BROOKS LONG TERM
If injured playmaker Luke Brooks has played his last game for Wests Tigers then the Tigers have found a ready-made replacement in Jock Madden.
Now it’s up to Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall to make sure the former Australian Schoolboy captain doesn’t get his career hijacked in a similar way that crushed Brooks’ career.
Brooks was an amazing talent that never got a fair chance to develop as he should have because of the constant changes he had to adapt to under every new coach.
But it would probably be in his best interests now to go and chase a fresh start at another club.
And that would open the door for Madden who is now in his fourth season at the Tigers and ready to stamp himself as a permanent NRL player.
The Scone junior was outstanding against the Broncos, finishing with a try and two try assists, before Cooper Cronk declared “the kid can play”.
“I know there is a lot of moving pieces going on at the Tigers,” Cronk said on Fox League.
“But there is a former colleague who used to sit on this table (Benji) that will be moving into the coach’s box at some stage soon. And that kid has just put his name up in lights.”
With Hastings and Brooks sidelined for the season, Madden will never get a better chance to prove he deserves to start next season as Adam Doueihi’s permanent halves partner.
MANU LEAVES ROOSTERS FANS WANTING MORE
Joey Manu was again outstanding in his return from injury playing back in the centres.
Though you can’t help but think the Roosters will be a more dangerous team when he is playing permanently in the halves.
For now they just need to get him involved as much as they possibly can.
It wasn’t exactly the Roosters’ best performance of the season against a severely depleted Manly side where they scraped home 20-10.
But just look at Manu’s stats, which included 21 runs for 191m with 12 tackle busts, a line break and a try.
Not a bad day out.
EELS SHOW WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF
Who writes the scripts for the Parramatta Eels?
Just when you thought they were back on track after an outstanding win over the Panthers, now rugby league’s rollercoaster team has copped another massive blow losing playmaker Mitchell Moses for at least four matches with a broken finger.
While that win was enough to convince us all Parra are a legitimate competition threat if they can become consistent, it remains to be seen how they will back up against Manly this Friday at 4 Pines Park.
Moses’ injury brings young Jakob Arthur into the team after he was booed by sections of the Eels fan base last round.
Those fans will probably want to get behind the kid because he shapes as a key man in the coming weeks.
SHOULD RIVAL CLUBS BE KNOCKING ON POTTER’S DOOR?
If Cameron Ciraldo is, as expected, announced as the new Canterbury coach in the coming days, that should make Mick Potter the NRL’s next most wanted coach-in-waiting.
Seriously, that’s now four wins from their last six games for the Bulldogs under Potter.
And the brand of footy they are playing is just a joy to watch – and the complete opposite to how they were playing under Trent Barrett.
Potter has given these players the freedom to play what’s in front of them, and aren’t they having a ball doing it?
Jacob Kiraz was outstanding scoring a hat-trick against his former club the Knights who didn’t rate him, while the Matt Burton-Josh Addo-Carr combination is developing into something that could be very special.
Meanwhile, what must Newcastle fans be thinking getting towelled up by a team who a couple of months back were going so bad they sacked their coach?
TIME FOR TAPINE TO PROVE WHO IS NRL’S BEST PROP
Ricky Stuart reckons Canberra’s Joe Tapine is the best prop in the game right now after the towering Kiwi produced another barnstorming effort in the win over Gold Coast.
Now it sets up a cracking showdown with Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris in Canberra on Saturday.
Tapine had 19 runs for 166m in the win over the Titans that included seven tackle busts and a try from close range when he had four players hanging off him as he planted the ball down.
But this clash against the Panthers is a huge test for Tapine and indeed the entire Raiders pack.
If you remember their game earlier this year the Panthers absolutely man-handled the Raiders who could hardly get out of their own territory for the entire second half.
You don’t reckon that won’t be brought up in both teams’ discussions in the build up?
HAAS TO CARRY LOAD IN CARRIGAN’S ABSENCE
If Payne Haas wasn’t already a key man for Brisbane, losing Pat Carrigan will mean the Broncos’ hopes now rest on Haas’ shoulders every bit as much as Adam Reynolds.
Haas has been in dynamic form the last fortnight.
He punched holes in Parramatta last round with 20 runs for a phenomenal 204m, while he was again one of their best in a beaten side against the Tigers where Haas clocked up 180m from 16 runs.
Every time he touches the ball you just watch in awe.
But there’s also no doubt his tag-team combination with Carrigan just makes him and the Broncos so much more dangerous.
Carrigan had 12 runs for 138m against the Tigers, which was the second most of the Broncos’ forwards.
His likely suspension is a huge blow for the Broncos who face the Sydney Roosters at the SCG on Thursday night.
The shock loss to the Tigers has already dropped them out of the top four on for and against percentages.
FITZY LETS HIS EMOTION GO AFTER GOLDEN THRILLER
Cronulla’s Craig Fitzgibbon has been quick to master the art of keeping his emotions in check in the coach’s box.
But it was outstanding watching him have a momentary lapse when Nicho Hynes nailed the matching winning field goal in the golden point win over the Rabbitohs.
The Sharks nearly blew it on multiple occasions late to let Souths back in the game.
But in the end Hynes stepped up when the team needed him to secure a win that keeps them in the top four.
A month ago we looked at the Sharks’ upcoming draw and said this period would tell us if they were genuine contenders or not.
They have since knocked over Melbourne, North Queensland and Souths, with their only loss last round against the Panthers when they were in the game right up until the final minutes. They’ve answered the challenge.
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Originally published as NRL Tackle: Paul Crawley’s likes and dislikes, Broncos star’s diving disgrace ruin great contest
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