- Second rower Olakau’atu was penalized for the tackle.
- Both players now face three weeks out.
- Parramatta left furious after several calls went against them
Manly have suffered a mammoth double blow with Daly Cherry-Evans and Haumole Olakau’atu facing bans for their dangerous throw on Shaun Lane.
After Olakau’atu was convicted on the field on Friday night against Parramatta, the NRL match review committee deemed the pair at fault on Saturday morning.
The double act has earned the pair second-degree charges, leaving them each with two-game suspensions that will balloon to three games if they challenge and lose before the judiciary.
The charges also further frustrated the Eels, who AAP understands are furious over several key calls in their 32-18 defeat on Friday night.
Parramatta are upset that Cherry-Evans did not join Olakau’atu in the bin for the first-half tackle, if he was also to blame.
Double sins from one incident are extremely rare in the NRL.
Referee Ashley Klein did not send on Sea Eagles captain Daly Cherry-Evans, but did send on Haumole Olakau’atu.
Olakau’atu’s absence allowed Parramatta to put early pressure on the Sea Eagles, before the home side rallied to overtake the Eels.
But referee Gerard Sutton could be heard telling Cherry-Evans that his involvement was a mitigating factor that saved Olakau’atu from being sent off.
Parramatta also maintain that Tom Trbojevic was offside in a second-half kick chase, leading to Eels left center Will Penisini being thrown out for a professional foul.
The Eels believe they should have been awarded a penalty and would have been on the attack with the 13 men on the field trailing 18-14 during the second half.
And then the Eels wonder why Ethan Sanders was denied a try in the second half after a double knock-on was called against the Eels.
Parramatta successfully challenged that they had not touched on the play, but a mutual infringement of the referee’s whistle prevented Sanders from scoring the try.
The Eels’ loss left them 14th in the standings heading into next week’s break and with increasing pressure on coach Brad Arthur after a 3-5 start to the season.
Manly are also struggling now given the bans facing their dynamite right of Cherry-Evans and Olakau’atu.
If DCE pleads guilty or decides to fight the charge and loses, it will be the first time in his 14-year career that he will be suspended.
Cherry-Evans’ first suspension in his 14-year career would likely leave Jake Arthur in the halves against Canberra and the Dolphins.
Olakau’atu’s absence will also be felt, with his second-row teammate Ben Trbojevic also sidelined for the next fortnight with a hamstring injury.
Karl Lawton and Ethan Bullemore are options to start in place of the Tongan international, with Brad Parker another alternative after moving from center to second row this year.
After the game, Cherry-Evans hoped his role in the tackle would save Olakau’atu from any penalty.
“I definitely had a role at tackle,” Cherry-Evans said Friday night.
“He just overcompensated for what was happening in the tackle. Ten minutes in the bin was probably fair.
“I’d like to think that, hopefully, that’s it and we’ll move on.”
For Parramatta, Maika Sivo and Ryan Matterson can accept fines for dangerous contact and high tackle respectively.
Sivo was convicted for his dangerous contact with Reuben Garrick, while Matterson’s high hit on Luke Brooks in the first half went unpunished.
