High price: Match review committee comes down hard on Corey Waddell after Sea Eagles forward was lucky to avoid a stint in the sin bin

Corey Waddell somehow avoided the sin bin on Sunday, but his luck has run out with the Manly forward hit hard by the match review committee.

Manly forward Corey Waddell is facing at least two weeks on the sidelines after he was hit with a grade two careless high tackle charge for his shot on Melbourne’s Tyran Wishart in the dying minutes of Sunday’s blowout loss despite not being sent to the sin bin.

There were six players sent to the sin bin for high contact in round five amid a league-wide crackdown, while Phoenix Crossland spent 10 minutes off the field for a trip and Starford To’a was sent for an early shower for a professional foul against the Broncos.

But Waddell wasn’t one of them despite match officials being ordered to pay extra attention after four clear sin bins were missed in round four.

Charges from the NRL Match Review Committee following the Round 5 Sunday matches pic.twitter.com/IgOS12QKJ0

— Rugby League Central (@NRLMedia) April 7, 2025

Waddell was placed on report for his swinging arm in the 76th minute but avoided further sanction on the field, with Greg Alexander saying in commentary “we’ve seen players binned this weekend for less”.

It was a strange call to not send him to the sin bin given there was plenty of force and it was direct contact to the head, with the match review committee’s ruling suggesting the officials got it wrong.

He’s now set to miss Manly’s next two matches if he takes the early guilty plea, while he risks an extra week if he fights the charge and loses.

Brendan Piakura, Ray Stone and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui were all offered suspensions by the MRC out of Saturday’s games, while a number of other fines were handed out for high shots across the weekend.

@NRL_Bulldogs

Charges from Newcastle game.

Jacob Preston
Grade 1
Careless high tackle
$1,800 early plea

Kurt Mann
Grade 1
Crusher
$3,000 early plea.

— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) April 6, 2025

There’s better news for the ladder-leading Bulldogs, with milestone man Kurt Mann escaping a ban for his crusher tackle against the Knights on Sunday night.

Mann can accept a $3000 fine if he takes the early guilty plea, while teammate Jacob Preston is also free to face the Rabbitohs on Good Friday after he was offered an $1800 fine for his grade one careless high tackle in the opening minute.

Crossland was offered a $1000 fine for his trip, while Adam Elliott will have to pay the same amount if he accepts his high tackle charge.

Originally published as High price: Match review committee comes down hard on Corey Waddell after Sea Eagles forward was lucky to avoid a stint in the sin bin