NRL Round 25 2024: Canterbury Bulldogs win 34-18 over New Zealand Warriors, Stephen Crichton lucky to avoid sin bin

Fans and commentators were left stunned after Stephen Crichton avoided the sin bin over a high shot that ended Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s season, as the Bulldogs secured a finals berth.

NRL Round 25 2024 Warriors vs Bulldogs. Picture: NRL Imagery

After Warriors centre Roger Tuivasa-Sheck emerged from a tackle like the drunkest man in the pub on Friday night in Auckland, it was widely assumed Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton would be spending 10 minutes on the sideline.

Yet, rather than a sin bin, Crichton was placed on report only by referee Wyatt Raymond.

To compound matters for the Warriors, Tuivasa-Sheck was ruled out of the game – and next and thus his season – following a category one HIA.

Commentators were left stunned after Stephen Crichton avoided the sin bin for a high shot on Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Picture: Fox League

Replays showed the point of Crichton’s shoulder connecting flush with Tuivasa-Sheck’s head. Yet, according to Raymond, there was a “high level of mitigation in the tackle.”

Tuivasa-Sheck did dip slightly just before contact but the call was contentious because Crichton hadn’t used his arms in the tackle.

Warriors coach Andrew Webster was mystified in the post-match press conference.

“I’m struggling to understand how a shoulder can go into Roger’s head and the bunker can [rule as they did], in a critical time in the game,” Webster said.

“We’ve got to protect our players. And I just don’t see the consistency, one little bit around that.”

Added Webster: “I think they [the bunker] need to know what they’re doing. I actually don’t think they know. I don’t think they understand. Because if they did … the wording around what they say just isn’t clear.”

Liam Kennedy in the bunker has decided this game by not removing Crichton. What a complete and utter farce.

— BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) August 23, 2024

3 sin bins last night - nothing tonight for almost same head shot. This time player off for HIA. What a disgrace

— BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) August 23, 2024

What! Manly had 3 players binned last night for the exact same thing! CONSISTENCY!!

— Mark Geyer (@markMGgeyer) August 23, 2024

Good fightback @NRL_Bulldogs - but this game was won and lost the moment RTS got knocked out of the game and the Dogs somehow kept 13 men on the field.

— The Mole (@9_Moley) August 23, 2024

Dogs prop Max King was also put on report for a shoulder to the head of Mitch Barnett.

The incidents took the gloss from another commanding Bulldogs performance, the visitors winning their 10th game in 12 since Magic Round 34-18.

They also kept their opponent scoreless in the second half for the eighth time this year.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s head knock was deemed category one, and with the Warriors on the bye in Round 27, means his season is over. Picture: NRL Imagery

JOHNSON’S TEARS

Shaun Johnson was the last player onto the newly-minted Shaun Johnson Stadium, walking through blue smoke and beams of light with his wife, Kayla, a Silver Fern, and two kids.

He kissed them, waved to the crowd with a ‘Thank You SJ’ sign, and it all got real for the 33-year-old: it was his last game at home. It was too much and he cried.

He rubbed his cheeks vigorously. He went down onto his haunches, plucked some grass from the surface, rubbed it on his hands. That he knocked on with his first touch was not a surprise. He was on the field but he wasn’t on, not yet.

And then he was. Second touch he set his backline free. Third touch was a pinpoint bomb that forced a repeat set. There was footwork, hands and three goals from three.

Yet it was Johnson’s likely replacement in the number seven jumper, Luke Metcalf, who, on the back of 94 per cent of possession, set up tries to Marcelo Montoya and Kurt Capewell who ran a fine angle to go under the posts.

Shaun Johnson of the Warriors walks out with his family in his last game in New Zealand. Picture: Getty Images

DOGS RIDE LUCK, WIND

With sheets of rain falling on a stiff northerly wind, Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton was rumbled into a touch by a rugby-like rolling maul of Warriors but referee Wyatt Raymond ruled that Burton had been held.

The Bulldogs backline sent the ball wide for Bronson Xerri who used his pace to burn Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and score.

Such was the wind that Metcalf put the kick-off dead on the full. Burton’s kick for the line was hacked off the inside of his boot, barely got above knee height and almost went backwards before it was picked up by Jacob Karaz who set off down field.

Stephen Crichton was ruled not to have touched a Toby Sexton kick before going over under the posts before Kurtis Morrin went under the same sticks following Viliame Kikau’s bust through some paper-thin defence.

The Dogs’ momentum was strong but Wayde Egan’s classic hooker’s try from dummy-half near the posts saw the Warriors go to the break leading 18-16.

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo said “it’s a privilege to be part of at the moment.”

“We’re really excited about getting home to Accor next week. We’ve got two home games coming up and our fans are going to be really excited to see us play,” Ciraldo said.

“The style of play we’re playing right now; Belmore’s going off again.”

DOGS FOUR-SIGHT

Running with the wet wind in the second half, and on the back of fine kicking games by Burton and Sexton, the Bulldogs went ahead through tries to Harry Hayes and Josh Addo-Carr.

The Dogs move to equal-third on 34 points which maintains pressure on the Roosters (who play Newcastle) and the Sharks (who play the Dragons) for a berth in the all-important top-four.

Originally published as NRL Round 25 2024: Canterbury Bulldogs win 34-18 over New Zealand Warriors, Stephen Crichton lucky to avoid sin bin