Greg Alexander questions look of game after Kalyn Ponga sin-bin

Premiership great Greg Alexander has slammed the NRL’s management questioning what image the game wants for itself following Kalyn Ponga’s controversial sin-binning against the Tigers.

Kalyn Ponga was sin-binned for a shoulder charge on Michael Chee-Kam. Picture: Darren Pateman

• KENT: Beanies, Everest and Chief’s true colours

• DRINK UP: Reborn club puts Immortality in a can

Rugby league great Greg Alexander has asked “what does the game want to look like” in the wake of Newcastle star Kalyn Ponga’s sin-binning.

The Knights fullback was binned for the final two minutes of their loss to the Wests Tigers after colliding with Tigers back-rower Michael Chee-Kam as they contested the ball. While Ponga was cleared by the match review committee on Saturday, Alexander fired a salvo at the game’s hierarchy after Ponga was marched from the field.

Live stream the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >

Kalyn Ponga was sin-binned for a shoulder charge on Michael Chee-Kam. Picture: Darren Pateman

MORE NRL NEWS

UNCLE SIA SHOWING CANBERRA RAIDERS THE WAY

BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS WALKER’S WIZARDRY

The Ponga sin-binning comes a week after Penrith’s enforcer Viliame Kikau was suspended for two games for an innocuous shoulder charge on Dragons halfback Darren Nicholls.

“It was ridiculous,” Alexander said. “He was going for the footy. As was Chee-Kam, as was Hymel Hunt.

“When you slow things down you can see there was a bit of contact here and there a 100 times in a game. Slow motion always makes it look worse.

“When you play that at normal speed, how could you think there was anything wrong with it?

“You can’t safeguard every little aspect of the game. It seems crazy and off the back of the Kikau suspension.

Greg Alexander says Ponga and Viliame Kikau were incorrectly punished. Picture: Joel Carrett

“The people that make these decisions, what do they want the game to look like? I know they are worried about head knocks but how do we want the game to look?

“I don’t know anymore. I’m all for protecting players.

“Everyone is for protecting players. It’s a body contact sport and you can’ bring a rule in that’s a coverall.”

Ponga was sin-binned by referee Henry Perenara after the bunker’s intervention. The call came as the Knights were trailing by two and would have allowed them a seven tackle set and a final chance to secure a come-from-behind win.

LISTEN! Matty’s back with Kenty and Finchy and they run the rule over the Raiders premiership chances, try to understand what’s happening at the Sharks and look back at the ‘89 grand final and ask what would have happened if the Tigers won.

The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley on Saturday said he would not have binned Ponga but was not critical of the match officials for doing so.

“On balance sitting in the comfort of my living room and having a look at some replays I probably wouldn’t have but they don’t have that luxury,” Annesley said. “The bunker has chance to review it but they do it quickly.

“The right decision was made not to charge by the match review committee but I can understand how they officials came to their decision.

“It’s one of these ones even looking at the media — it’s a divided opinion. In one sense you can understand why the officials acted the way they did. There was a shoulder who hit a player in the head and that player suffered an injury.

“They focus on the contact from the shoulder to the head but the match review committee have a determination that it was accidental.

“We will go through much more detail on Monday morning.”

Newcastle’s slide down the premiership ladder continues after losing their fourth consecutive game. Coach Nathan Brown has promised to make mass changes to his side ahead of their crucial clash against Manly on Saturday.

Originally published as Greg Alexander questions look of game after Kalyn Ponga sin-bin