Eels coach Brad Arthur has hit back at claims his side milked penalties
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has warned people to be careful questioning his side’s integrity amid milking claims.
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has hit out at whispers emanating from the Wests Tigers camp that his players are staying down to milk penalties, warning people to be very careful before attacking his team’s integrity.
Arthur was seething at suggestions his players were pushing the boundaries to deceive match officials, the issue rearing its head at the end of a week when the sides exchanged barbs over the Eels’ signing of Ryan Matterson.
At the heart of the latest debate was Eels backrower Nathan Brown, who went to ground holding his neck but then bounced to his feet when he was awarded a penalty for a crusher tackle that he thought was done by Tigers forward Shawn Blore on Thursday.
Brown then demanded to be given the ball from the next play and ran straight at Blore.
Social media went into meltdown in the aftermath, Nine Network commentator Phil Gould among those to raise his concerns.
“I’ve been saying for years that players and coaches make a mockery of the rules and fools of the referees,” Gould wrote.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart also spoke out on the diving debate only a week ago after an incident involving Sydney Roosters centre Josh Morris.
The NRL on Friday opted to take no action against Blore or Russell Packer, the other player in the tackle who was arguably the more culpable.
Packer was, however, charged over a tackle on Eels captain Clint Gutherson earlier in the match. It is understood the Tigers are contemplating fighting the charge.
Arthur was ropeable when contacted by The Weekend Australian over the accusations. It marked the latest brushfire after the lead-up to the game was dominated by the controversial departure of Matterson from the Tigers at the end of last season.
The Eels back rower finished Thursday night on the sidelines after suffering a head knock attempting to tackle Packer early in the game.
Arthur vehemently refuted any suggestion his players had been coached to stay down.
He pointed out he and his players had worked hard on their discipline in recent years, to the point that they were now the least penalised side this season.
Blore, meanwhile, was enjoying his new-found fame after Brown made it his mission to ruffle the 19-year-old’s feathers.
“Nathan Brown is one of the toughest players to walk on the field,” Blore said.
“I’m just honoured he even wanted to have an argument with me. Once he did that it lit a fire. I went up to him and shook his hand after the game. It was fun.
“I knew he was coming at me. Physically I knew the contact would have been there. I just had to put my body behind him and see what happened.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Browny. He’s been playing since I was a kid. I thought he was going to get a short ball, I kind of hit him, he didn’t get the ball, so I can understand why he got angry.
“He sledged me. I just laughed at him. He said ‘congratulations on the debut’ (after the game) which was nice.
“I definitely didn’t want to lay down. I was the new kid on the block, I wanted to take it to them and lay a platform. I thought I did OK.
“Hopefully I can hold a spot and build on that.”
Blore’s performance was one of the highlights on a night when the Tigers walked with their heads held high but their injury count on the rise. The most graphic involved utility Michael Chee Kam, who was taken off the field on the back of a medicab after suffering a concussion.
Chee Kam was rushed to hospital after having a seizure on the ground, although the club confirmed on Friday morning that he had been discharged and was showing signs of improvement.
Chee Kam later posted a message on social media thanking everyone for their support.
“Safely home and very grateful it wasn’t anything too serious,” he wrote.
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