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NRL world reacts to Billy Slater’s not guilty verdict

SYDNEY Roosters captain Boyd Cordner has led the furious reaction to Billy Slater’s escape from a shoulder charge citation.

Andrew McMurtry
3 min read
September 26, 2018 - 9:23AM
Slater was flanked by hordes of media after the not guilty decision.
Slater was flanked by hordes of media after the not guilty decision.

BILLY Slater is free to take his place in the Melbourne Storm’s grand final side — his farewell game in the NRL — after escaping a shoulder charge citation at a judiciary hearing.

The decision is causing huge division in the NRL, with many furious at Slater’s not guilty verdict for an attempted try-saving hit on Sosaia Feki.

Sydney Roosters captain Boyd Cordner, whose teams plays the Storm in Sunday’s decider, felt like the verdict was a foregone conclusion.

“I always thought he was going to play, I think everyone did to tell you the truth,” Cordner told Triple M’s The Grill Team.

“After that I don’t know what a shoulder charge is anymore,” he added. “Although it’s good to have a legend of our game and one of the best ever to play his last game in a grand final — on the other hand you sit their scratching your head about what actually are the rules around that. For me personally it was a shoulder charge.”

Daily Telegraph journalist and NRL 360 host Paul Kent said the decision set a dangerous precedent.

“This now goes into the game as a precedent as a not guilty decision,” Kent said.

“Next year when there are similar instances to this, there will be other people around the game championing that decision saying they got it right, but from now on, as we go forward, this is a legal tackle in the game.”

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Kent argued penalties needed to increase to eradicate the shoulder charge from the game.

“In order to eliminate a tackle in the game that we don’t want in the game for valid reasons you have to put in a penalty that is enough of a deterrent that people don’t want to do it,” he said.

The brother of the late James Ackerman, who was tragically killed while playing rugby league for the Sunshine Coast three years ago as the result of a shoulder charge, labelled the decision an insult.

Former referees boss Greg MacCallum was a guest on NRL 360 on Tuesday night and slammed the shoulder charge rule.

“I think there’s too much emphasis on the potential outcome rather than what happens on the field,” MacCallum said.

“When you look at tonight’s one, you see there’s no impact on the head, there is some flex of the neck but was there intent to really put a hit on him?

“I don’t think so and I think that’s where the 200 points is probably the thing that’s going to challenge the game after tonight.”

Slater led an impassioned defence in the judiciary hearing. The Melbourne fullback stood in front of the panel to explain the move and why he had no choice but to tackle like he did.

“The whole time my intention was to make a tackle,” he said. “It happens earlier than I expected to do but I’m still attempting to wrap my right arm. Even with my left arm is trying to wrap underneath. I was still trying to get my body in a position to get between the ball and the try line.

Slater was stonefaced after the decision, but Storm coach Craig Bellamy was pleased.
Slater was stonefaced after the decision, but Storm coach Craig Bellamy was pleased.

“I’ve got a duty to make a tackle, the duty of care is to myself and player Feki. To ensure I don’t make a high tackle is a duty to Feki. I feel the contact that was made was unavoidable once he veered back in. I think the decisions I made ensured the safest possible contact was made.”

It was a lengthy speech from Slater who fought for his fairy tale finish in the NRL with a grand final on the line.

Twitter exploded during and after the hearing with plenty of people wanting to put in their two cents, including several former and current players.

Retiring Sharks star Luke Lewis was a key defender of Slater straight after the match.

He reiterated his defence of Slater and said the matter should have been dealt with during the match.

“I don’t condone shoulder charges but what do you do in that situation, he’s got to put his body on the line to stop a try so his team can get through to a grand final,” Lewis said.

“We’ve grown up playing football for a long time and we’ve been taught to stop tries. A try stopped is probably better than a try scored. I think they should have sent him off for 10 minutes and given us an advantage.”

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/billy-slater-not-guilty-verdict-set-a-precedent-for-the-future-of-the-game-according-to-nrl-360-host-paul-kent/news-story/b978f795e7f80a7065218418ff85e534