‘Out of order’: Trent Robinson and Elliott Whitehead share tense exchange

Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead and Roosters coach Trent Robinson had a terse exchange after their round 26 match after Whitehead attempted to check on the welfare of injured hooker Brandon Smith.

Elliott Whitehead was sin binned for the tackle. Picture: NRL Photos

Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead tried to apologise for his hip drop tackle on Brandon Smith on Sunday but Roosters coach Trent Robinson didn’t accept the gesture.

Smith was taken off the field in the second half with a suspected medial ligament injury which could end his season.

Whitehead was sin-binned for the hip drop tackle and went up to Robinson post-game to say sorry and ask how Smith was.

But he copped the cold shoulder.

Elliott Whitehead was sin binned for the tackle. Picture: NRL Photos

“I was just not happy with the way I went up to ask about Brandon and Trent Robinson’s had a go at me,” Whitehead said.

“I obviously didn’t mean (it) and I know he’s come up with a bad injury.

“I went to apologise and he’s (Robinson) turned on me so the way he did that, I felt it was out of order.”

Robinson claimed it was nothing new from the English forward and he’d simply had enough.

“He came up and wanted to ask how Brandon was and I just said, ‘It’s too many times’,” Robinson said.

“The hip drop has been pretty common in his game for a long time. It’s cost us a player.

Brandon Smith is likely to miss the rest of the season. Picture: NRL Photos

“He said it was an accident and I just said, ‘You’ve done it too many times’ and that was it.”

Robinson said it wasn’t anything personal, but he was fed up seeing the dangerous tackle.

“He’s done a lot in his career. I like Elliott but it’s been pretty common in his game his whole career,” he said.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart wasn’t denying post-game that both Whitehead’s sin bins weren’t sin bins.

But Stuart didn’t want to comment further on Robinson’s actions.

Originally published as ‘Out of order’: Trent Robinson and Elliott Whitehead share tense exchange