Cowboy’s Jeremiah Nanai given five-match ban for hip-drop tackle

His coach didn’t think Jeremiah Nanai’s tackle was that bad, but a lengthy suspension suggests otherwise.

Jeremiah Nanai is sent to the sin bin after his hip-drop tackle. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

North Queensland’s Jeremiah Nanai has been handed a five-match ban for a hip-drop tackle that left Cronulla’s Hamlin-Uele with a knee injury.

The suspension rules Nanai out of State of Origin for Queensland.

Nanai was given the massive ban, which could be reduced to four with an early guilty plea, despite his coach Todd Payten defending the tackle after the Sharks’ massive 44-6 win on Thursday night.

“Nanai I didn’t think he made a great deal of contact on the back of his leg,” Payten said.

“I thought his arse and hips were away from the back of his leg.

“Braden jumped up pretty quickly to throw the ball at him, so it mustn’t have been too bad initially.”

Is Jeremiah Nanai in trouble for this tackle on Braden Hamlin-Uele? 🤔

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Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon confirmed an MCL injury for his player, while star halfback Nicho Hynes said no players deliberately went out to injure others.

“I had a decent look, but no player means to go out and do hip drops,” Hynes said.

“It is something that we need to fix somehow, but there is no player who goes out intentionally to do a hip-drop tackle.

“It is just such an awkward position that it gets into. It is a hard one and I don’t know what the answer is to it.

“You don’t like seeing players sent for 10, but you also don’t like seeing players miss games because of it (through injury).”

Cowboys teammates Scott Drinkwater and Coen Hess were also charged but will escape bans with early guilty pleas. Nanai was sin-binned for his tackle.

Originally published as Cowboy’s Jeremiah Nanai given five-match ban for hip-drop tackle