Reece Walsh was being driven back to Brisbane on the team bus on Friday after facial fractures prevented him from joining his teammates on the flight home from Sydney.
The fullback suffered a nasty gash under his left eye from a head clash with Taylan May early in the 34-12 loss to Penrith.
The wound required five stitches and, while he passed his HIA, Walsh was unable to return to the field because he struggled to see because of the swelling.
May was placed on report but not charged by the match review committee on Friday morning.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters was unimpressed May had escaped sanction and told reporters when he touched down in the Queensland capital on Friday: “I’m a bit confused about the rules. Where is the duty of care for our players? Reece will miss four to six weeks. There was contact to the head.
“If the NRL are serious about concussion and protecting players, where does this [tackle] sit with that?”
Reece Walsh and his nasty gash after Thursday’s game.
Walters did not want to sound like a “sore loser”, but added: “What I’m strong on is the protection of our players. If this is let go, the next time Reece Walsh comes on the field, what do they do again? Exactly the same thing.”
Match review committee manager Luke Patten said May had both feet on the ground “with both arms down by his side in an attempt to make a body tackle”.
“[And] he does not lead with his shoulder or head … once the ball is passed by player Walsh, both players react to the imminent contact resulting in both players leaving the ground and accidentally clashing heads.
“The MRC does not see player May rotate his shoulder or raise his arms in an attempt to go through with the tackle. They do not consider his actions to be either careless or reckless.”
Walsh’s injury would have been taken into account had May been charged.
Taylan May gets into a scuffle during the Panthers’ big win over BrisbaneCredit: Getty Images
Panthers fans cheered when Walsh came from the field with a trainer and a blood-stained towel pressed hard against his face after just four minutes.
A Broncos trainer passed the ball to Walsh on the sideline as he prepared to return to play midway through the first half, only for it to hit the No.1 in the head.
Brisbane doctors conducted some initial testing on Walsh’s face and cleared him of any fractures but a CT scan late Thursday night confirmed their worst fears.
“Reece was taken to hospital last night after we arrived back at the team hotel and underwent a CT scan which showed a facial fracture,” Broncos head of performance Dave Ballard said.
“As a result, he cannot fly home and is being driven back up to Brisbane today by our staff. We will be able to determine how much footy Reece will miss once the injury settles down and after we consult a specialist in coming days.
“Reece’s wellbeing is our priority and ensuring he is well looked after. We will get him safely back to Brisbane and then move forward.”
Walsh and several Broncos staffers were the only passengers on board the 50-seat team bus, which by chance made a rare trip to Sydney for the grand final rematch due to the team making multiple trips to and from Sydney airport, their Rooty Hill accommodation and Penrith’s home ground. Greyhound’s website says the bus trip between the NSW and Queensland capitals takes more than 16 hours.
Referee Gerard Sutton placed May on report because he felt he had a “duty of care” to bend further into the tackle and “avoid contact”.
Paul Gallen said on the Nine commentary he thought the tackle was “totally accidental” and he was “surprised he [May] was put on report”, but Brad Fittler said: “I think when you come in on someone’s blind side, you are responsible that you tackle below [the attacker’s] shoulders.”
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary was quick to defend his young centre and said he thought it was just a head clash.
“Nobody wants to see the best players go off – I thought it was an accident,” Cleary said. “I actually thought [May] was trying to pull out of the tackle.
“He was directly upright, which is not how you tackle. Had he bent down, which I think the bunker was suggesting he should have, he probably would have hit him in the head with his shoulder, which is not what you want.
“At the end of the day, Reece Walsh moves pretty fast, these things happen, it’s unfortunate for Reece, but I’m not too concerned about it.”
Nu Brown was sent off in the Super League for an accidental head clash last month.
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