‘What a joke’: Siosifa Talakai faces huge ban as monster shoulder charge divides footy

It was the tackle heard around rugby league, but not everyone was seeing things the same way after a Sharks star’s huge shoulder charge.

This hit was as big as it gets.

Siosifa Talakai is facing a huge ban as his monster hit on Matt Doorey sparked debate in the rugby league world, after he was sin-binned for a shoulder charge that left the Bulldogs star seeing stars.

In the first half of Canterbury’s 18-12 win over Cronulla, Talakai came charging out of the line and flattened Doorey with one of the biggest shots we’ve seen this year.

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Doorey got up and tried to convince the trainer he was fine to carry on, but later failed his HIA and was ruled out of the match.

Talakai nailed Doorey with his right shoulder, but there was conjecture over whether he made an effort to wrap his right arm around the attacker.

The shoulder charge is barred in the NRL and players must try to wrap their arms when making a tackle. There’s no doubt Talakai’s arm made contact with Doorey, but it was deemed incidental and he was sent to the sin bin and placed on report.

It was revealed on Sunday Talakai is facing a six-match ban for his shoulder charge, or four with an early guilty plea, after being slapped with a grade three charge by the match review committee.

This hit was as big as it gets.

South Sydney captain Adam Reynolds thought Talakai and the Sharks were hard done by, clearly not believing he deserved such a severe punishment.

“What a joke,” Reynolds tweeted, with a face palm emoji.

Rugby league reporter Cody Kaye tweeted: “I hate that Talakai gets binned for that. Absolutely hate it.”

However, the Fox League panel seemed to disagree. Former NSW five-eighth Braith Anasta thought the officials made the right call, while Michael Ennis added even though it wasn’t a “traditional” shoulder charge, Talakai was still in the wrong.

“The traditional shoulder charge where the arm used to be cocked — it certainly wasn’t that,” Ennis said.

“The fact that the shoulder hits the point of the head, we are trying to get that out of the game. The whiplashing motion — he (Doorey) was clearly in discomfort and concussed.

“What looked to be a great hit was only fractionally wrong – I think he will be in some trouble.”