NRL 2022 Eels vs Storm: All the latest news, analysis and fallout
Roosters coach Trent Robinson was pleased neither Nelson Asofa-Solomona or Jared Waerea-Hargreaves were suspended for their aggressive battle, adding the game is “beautiful” when it reaches that level of intensity.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Melbourne forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona has found an unexpected ally after Roosters coach Trent Robinson said he had no issue with the Storm enforcer avoiding a suspension over his actions during their game last week.
Asofa-Solomona came in for heavy criticism following the Roosters win over Melbourne but he escaped with only a fine from the match review committee, having been charged for the fifth time this season.
Robinson had no issue with the outcome, suggesting neither Asofa-Solomona nor Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves deserved to miss games as a result of their aggression last week.
The only player suspended out of the game was Roosters prop Lindsay Collins, who was banned over a hip drop tackle.
“No, I don’t have a problem that he is playing this week after last week,” Robinson said of Asofa-Solomona.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
“They got fines because they crossed the line but did they cross the line enough? We want those guys playing every week.
“I don’t know the intricacies of (the fine system) ... but all I know is I don’t think what those guys did last weekend, that any of them don’t deserve to be playing this weekend.
“That is why people would want to walk in and turn up, and say I want to watch Nelson play tonight, I wonder what he is going to do.
“I wonder what Jared is going to do tomorrow night. I think that is our sport and we have to acknowledge we like that level of contact in our sport at different times.”
Robinson revealed the Roosters contemplated fighting the Collins charge but the risk was too great — a guilty plea at the panel would have rubbed him out of the grand final should they make it that far.
“The only suspension was Lindsay out of (the game), which we are trying to get those tackles out of the game, which I understand,” Robinson said. “Then I have had more comments about that game than possibly any game this year that I have been involved with.
“It was slow and it was stop-start, but people loved it because it showed a bit of the roughness about why we love rugby league, and the brutality that is involved.
“The way the match review has gone this year there was no harm in anything anybody did except for Lindsay.
“So what the match review did was say there are some things where people did cross the line, but we are going to fine them and we are going to say that is not acceptable, but we are also not going to rub them out of the game because people love seeing that style of game.
“You can’t always play that style of game every week. That was rare but it is beautiful when a game goes to that level and both teams are ready to rock and roll.”
Robinson also revealed that Victor Radley could be back for the opening week of the finals after the Roosters lock suffered an ugly head knock against the Storm.
Radley will sit out Friday night’s game against South Sydney but Robinson said the signs were promising that he could be back next week.
“He has been really good right from the day after the game,” Robinson said.
“I don’t know what people will think about me saying this but, based on his symptoms, he could have played this week because he didn’t have any.
“But, as we know, there must be things we don’t know .... and that is why he is not playing this week. We were never going to play him after what we saw.
“But as far as symptoms go, he remembers the whole game, he was in our review talking through different things and what he was saying at different moments.
“So he was clear on all that.”
Cleanskin Eels urged to fight fire with fire
-Dean Ritchie
Parramatta has been urged to ditch their cleanskin image and engage in a rugby league street fight against rough-house Melbourne in Thursday night’s massive top-four shootout.
The Storm have been widely condemned for their highly-scrutinised on-field aggression with 12 players charged by the NRL’s match review committee this season – equal third most in the competition – for a range of offences including cannon ball, hip drop, elbow to head, high tackle, late contact and abusing an official.
Melbourne prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona and fullback Cam Munster committed acts against the Sydney Roosters last week which were described as “grubby”.
While Melbourne has been dogged by on-field indiscretions this season, Parramatta are the NRL’s most law-abiding side with only players five being charged over the past 24 rounds.
This, though, is the time for Parramatta to shed their choirboy image, according to club greats.
“Parramatta will have to get dragged into a street fight – they will have to fight fire with fire,” former Eels champion Nathan Hindmarsh said. “You don’t want to be intimidated by what they do. You have to throw a little bit back at them.
“The Eels will have to get into a scrappy fight. That’s what you have to do against Melbourne. You have to be prepared for that sort of stuff.”
The Eels already beat the Storm once this season in a thrilling 28-24 extra-time victory in round three.
On that occasion, Asofa-Solomona got away with a swinging arm to the head of Eels prop Makahesi Makatoa that NRL head of football Graham Annesley later conceded should have resulted in a sin bin.
“Don’t let them get away with that crap – it’s the only way to approach Melbourne,” Parramatta legend Ray Price said on Thursday.
“You don’t have to copy their crap but just belt the shit out of them in defence. That’s how I would retaliate. If Parramatta can do that, I’m telling you, they can beat Melbourne. I would tell them that but the coach (Brad Arthur) won’t let me anywhere near the players I don’t think.
“Parramatta can’t be intimidated. Anyone that’s intimidated, what the hell are you playing for? Intimidation is throwing in the towel. I never did that and I never will.”
Just last weekend, the Sydney Roosters retaliated and won in a hostile and brutal game against the Storm at AAMI Park.
Two incidents which drew criticism last week was an elbow from Asofa-Solomona on Roosters whiz kid Joseph Suaalii and a stray elbow by Munster on Sam Walker. Asofa-Solomona was fined, Munster avoided being charged.
The Asofa-Solomona incident on Suaalii was described by former Penrith and Queensland prop Martin Lang as “dreadful”.
Hindmarsh added: “I dare say Brad Arthur will be ready for it. He has been in the Melbourne Storm system. He will know what to expect and he has to get his players to buy into as well.
“And I wouldn’t mind seeing some aggression from Parramatta. The last time I saw them being aggressive was the first game against Penrith (in round nine) this year – and I liked what I saw.
“The forwards really stuck it to the Panthers and I think that’s what they have to do again on Thursday night, especially against big ‘Sofa’ (Asofa-Solomona).
“It will be a physical game – that’s the style Melbourne likes to play. A lot of people will disagree but I don’t have an issue with what Melbourne does – I find it old school rugby league.”
Former premiership-winning Parramatta forward Peter Wynn added: “You’ve got to be aggressive, bloody oath you do. Our coach when I was playing, Jack Gibson used to say: ‘Rip in with controlled aggression and don’t take a backward step’.”
The importance of this game cannot be understated.
The winner of Thursday night’s mass match will secure a top-four position – and a second chance during the finals — with the loser flung into an unwanted sudden-death week one finals match. If the Eels lose, they will drop to sixth and face either the Sydney Roosters or South Sydney, while the Storm will finish fifth and take on either Canberra or Brisbane in Melbourne.
“History states you’ve got a better opportunity if you finish in the top four so I’m sure both teams will be going after it pretty heavily. We have been presented with an opportunity, a good opportunity, and we obviously know what’s at stake,” Arthur said.
Three Roosters players Lindsay Collins, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Victor Radley were changed by the MRC after last weekend’s match against Melbourne. Collins accepted an early plea and will miss four games through a hip drop.
The crowd for Thursday night’s game is expected to reach 22,000 to 23,000. Melbourne are $1.77 favourites, according to TAB, with Parramatta $2.05 outsiders.
NAS howlers should accept blame after ban overhaul
-Brent Read
Melbourne officials were keeping mum on criticism of Nelson Asofa-Solomona on Monday but the punters have made their feelings known to Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco.
They loved it. They watched Asofa-Solomona and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves tear into each other and walked away wanting more. They salivated over two giants of the game taking out their aggression on each other.
It was old school. A throwback to the dark ages when rugby league was played in the trenches and the rule book went out the window.
“So many people have said to me, ‘how good was that game’,” Tedesco said. “And there was a big focus on that aggression from the two big fellas going at each other one-on-one.”
Of Asofa-Solomona, Tedesco said: “He’s a big guy and he wants to prove that. He got a penalty, ran straight at Jared and Jared smashed him.”
Waerea-Hargreaves gave as good as he got. Truth be told, he gave more. He was sin-binned for his trouble and later charged by the match review committee.
So was Asofa-Solomona, although they can avoid suspension with early guilty pleas. Both men have track records at the judiciary, yet Asofa-Solomona was singled out on Monday for special attention in the wash-up to a game that will live long in the memory.
The big New Zealander has walked a fine line at times this season, prompting some to howl in protest at the fact he has once again escaped a ban.
Some of those doing the howling should accept some of the blame for Asofa-Solomona staying on the field thanks to an overhaul of the judicial system that saw more fines introduced and the loading system reset.
One of the reasons for the system being revised was the suggestion that too many players were missing games for trivial – grade one – offences. Now, the suggestion is that players aren’t being suspended enough.
The NRL can’t win. They bow to external pressure and up the fines to ensure the best players don’t miss big games. Then those players cop a fine and the NRL is lambasted for not meting out bans.
The Storm were reluctant to wade into the criticism on Monday. They were not happy with being singled out and no doubt view it as history repeating as the club comes under criticism on the eve of another finals campaign.
The punters, meanwhile, just lap it up as they get an early taste of finals football on a night laced with fire, brimstone and the odd stray forearm.
Asofa-Solomona is unlikely to change his ways. Nor will Waerea-Hargreaves, much to the delight of his teammates and coaches.
“He’s just a leader,” Tedesco said.
“He sets the tone for us as a team and our forward pack. Robbo (coach Trent Robinson) spoke to us about Jared being a guy who doesn’t take a backward step, and he will stand up to the biggest and strongest players, and that gives us a lot of motivation and confidence watching him as a leader lead.
“He’s not a guy who picks out the smallest player, he’ll take on the biggest guy and lead by example. It’s been a long career for him, but he has that aggression, and you don’t see it as much in the game anymore.
“He’s learned how to channel it in the right way, and it’s inspirational when you have a guy like that in your team.
“There aren’t many front-rowers who lift for big games as much as Jared.”
That will be music to the ears of rugby league fans.
Originally published as NRL 2022 Eels vs Storm: All the latest news, analysis and fallout
‘Sort himself out’: Shattered teammate speaks after Mam crash
Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan admitted Brisbane needed to do better as a club after Ezra Mam was checked into rehab following a crash last Friday.
Bledis-low! League minnows embarrass rugby in TV disaster
The NRL’s expansion hopes have received a massive boost with a second-tier Test match blowing rugby union’s crown jewel, the Bledisloe Cup, out of the water in shock television ratings figures.