Paul Gallen incident reignites debate about whether NRL bans should apply to Tests and representative games

HE is the Cockroach we love to hate and even more so after this cheap shot on Kangaroos teammate Josh McGuire went unpunished by the NRL.

Sharks skipper Paul Gallen is tackled by Broncos prop Josh McGuire.

CRONULLA skipper Paul Gallen has somehow avoided a charge from the NRL match review committee and will play for Australia in Friday’s trans-Tasman Test.

Gallen was not reported for a forearm on Broncos prop Josh McGuire on Sunday in Cronulla’s 30-28 win, although the incident was highlighted by Fox Sports commentators for its apparent contact to McGuire’s head.

Gallen and McGuire both entered camp today with the Australian team for Friday’s clash with New Zealand in Newcastle.

YOU DECIDE: WATCH THE INCIDENT IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

The verdict of the match review committee will increase the belief with some fans that star players are often treated differently in the lead-up to representative matches and finals.

A centimetre or two either way and Mal Meninga could have been sorting through the ranks for two new forwards, one lost through suspension and the other through injury.

“He’ll be lucky to get a week or two, in my eyes,’’ Fox Sports commentator Braith Anasta said of the Gallen incident at half-time.

McGuire, unable to quite assert him against the bustling Cronulla pack, played out the match and there was no reason to think he won’t be fit to make his Test debut.

Sharks skipper Paul Gallen is tackled by Broncos prop Josh McGuire.

Gallen is lucky indeed to play his 32nd Test on Friday.

We’re back into the debate about whether a Test (or Origin or grand final) should count the same as a regular club match when it comes to suspensions.

Gallen’s Sharks teammate Jason Bukuya was not as fortunate today, being charged with a shoulder charge on Ben Hunt in the 79th minute.

Bukuya will miss one NRL match if he accepts the charge and two if he contests it at the judiciary and is unsuccessful.

A media report also claimed today Gallen touched the shirt of referee Gerard Sutton in the match against the Broncos, but there was no mention of the incident in the NRL match review committee’s report.

The NRL match ­review committee finding he has no case to answer has come as a surprise to some of us rather than a shock.

McGuire did well to not ­retaliate with venom to Gallen’s forearm.

Gallen was more productive in the middle than McGuire on Sunday, especially in the first half when the Broncos’ miserly defence struggled after conceding their first two tries following repeat sets.

In Wayne Bennett’s 36 games in charge in his second stint, only four times have they conceded 24 points — four converted tries — or more. All, not surprising, led to losses.

On Sunday, Cronulla had rattled up a 28-6 halftime lead against a team which conceded only 81 points in eight matches.

Paul Gallen celebrates a try for the Sharks.

Cronulla will be delighted about how they repelled a thrilling Brisbane comeback to notch a sixth straight win and become one of four equal premiership leaders.

The Broncos will prefer to reflect that they had two possessions to win the match, ­despite having suspended prop Adam Blair and injured hooker Andrew McCullough both missing from their middle.

Twice in the last five minutes, young five-eighth Anthony Milford probed for a late winning play, losing the ball in an attempted offload for the first.

On the last chance, he grubbered on the fourth tackle, when his chasers were not ­exactly fired out of a gun.

Sharks fullback Ben Barba, shown the door by Bennett to accommodate Darius Boyd last year, will have enjoyed that he was first to the bouncing ball, capping a lively display for the 26-year-old.

Warriors and New Zealand halfback Shaun Johnson was assessed a grade one tripping charge and will not miss a game regardless of how he pleads.

Originally published as Paul Gallen incident reignites debate about whether NRL bans should apply to Tests and representative games