Bronco Patrick Carrigan escapes ban, exposing hip drop farce

A pair of Broncos stars have learned their fate with one judiciary backflip proving the NRL’s hip drop saga is as clear as mud.

Gus Gould was sick of the sin bins.

Broncos stars Patrick Carrigan and Reece Walsh have escaped suspensions after Brisbane’s chaotic 24-16 loss to the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.

It was a match that had it all, including some bad blood that threatened to boil over throughout, with four sin bins in the contest.

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Herbie Farnworth was sin binned for a professional foul in the 37th minute, Pat Carrigan was binned for a controversial hip drop, and the Storm’s Aaron Pene and Broncos’ Tom Flegler both were sent for some late push and shove.

Reece Walsh also came under scrutiny for a try saving tackle on Justin Olam many believed was a shoulder charge.

Walsh was charged by the NRL Match Committee for a shoulder charge but can escape with just a $1500 fine with an early plea.

Carrigan was sin binned by the bunker for a hip drop tackle but was not charged at all.

Patrick Carrigan wasn’t charged at all for his supposed hip drop tackle. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

It appeared the Broncos forward had simply landed on the back of Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s legs.

The ruling will only frustrate Broncos fans who feel Carrigan’s sin bin was a turning point in the game.

It means both Carrigan and Walsh are free to be selected in Queensland’s team for State of Origin Game I on May 31.

Canterbury Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould said the backflip on Carrigan’s tackle was proof the NRL got it very wrong.

To absolutely nobody’s surprise.

Last night: “Pat, the tackle has been reviewed, you’re in the bin”

Today: “Pat, we’ve reviewed our review and realised we were wrong. Sorry about the whole sin-bin while the game was in the balance thing. Good luck next week”

— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) May 12, 2023

Just a couple of observations on last nights game. 1. The Pat Cardigan tackle has been around since 1908. I am over the term hip drop. Also what about the Storm disallowed try for a player being deemed in front of the kicker. It was line ball! Let it go

— Darryl Brohman OAM (@therealbigmarn) May 11, 2023

Gould was also frustrated by the length of the Broncos-Storm game that was dragged out by the sin bins and stoppages.

“Game took 2 hours 10 mins to complete,” Gould tweeted.

“Ball was in play for approx 56 minutes. 130 mins to complete 56 mins of football action.

“17 penalties - 8 six agains - 4 sin bins - penalty try - pedantic disallowed try - fair try that was disallowed - a hip drop that was not a hip drop.”

Is this a hip drop? Photo: Fox Sports

Commentators weren’t convinced Carrigan’s tackle was a hip drop.

“There’s no doubt he loses his leg (but) I think Carrigan is just slipping down though,” Mick Ennis said.

“I know there has got to be intent but when the top of your ribs fall down there … it wasn’t the classic hip drop,” Gorden Tallis said.

“We’re going to keep on seeing it and I suppose if there’s any weight, any pressure on your lower leg, it’s called the hip-drop.”

Bryan Fletcher added: “The danger for Patty is he’s done it previously. I don’t think he meant it but I don’t think a lot of them do. Going off what’s happened, I think he might be in strife for Origin one.”

There were sin bins galore. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

At full-time, Carrigan told Nine: “Nelson is a big boy. He beat me on the outside shoulder and I was just trying to tackle him.

“I don’t even know if I landed on him. I don’t think it was a hip drop.

“I hope the big fella was OK. We’ll see what happens.”

Asked about the Carrigan hip drop sin bin, Walters simply said: “He slipped down his legs …

“Anyway, good luck to the Storm, they deserved to win. But the good thing from our perspective is we’ve come here to a tough environment and last time we came here, we got beat by 50 so I reckon we’ve made some improvements.”

Walters was again asked about the hip drop and whether the NRL need to adjust how it adjudicates the rule: “Yeah, definitely. You wouldn’t like to see that in a Grand Final.”

Even Storm coach Craig Bellamy believed it was a tough call.

“I think we’re very inconsistent with it,” Bellamy said.

“I think Patrick tonight was very unlucky to go to the sin bin. I’m thinking along the lines of Kevvie’s thinking there. I thought it was a really tough decision to send him to the sin bin but that was sort of the way the game went tonight.”

Originally published as Bronco Patrick Carrigan escapes ban, exposing hip drop farce