- Players had contrasting luck with Match Review Committee
- NRL fans have questioned the consistency of the qualification process.
- Several other players were lucky to escape with fines as well.
NRL fans have questioned the consistency of the Match Review Committee after Dolphins utility Anthony Milford and Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen had contrasting luck after tackles went wrong.
Milford had a chance to redeem himself in the first grade against his former club, the Brisbane Broncos, on Friday night, being substituted in the match following an injury to fullback Hamiso Tabui-Fidow.
However, it quickly became a night to forget, with the Dolphins being beaten 28-14 by their city rivals and Milford reported for an ugly tackle on Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh.
The MRC have been tough on the 2015 grand finalist, with Milford facing a two-game suspension for dangerous conduct after his 37th-minute hit was classed as a Grade 2 offence.
He faces a two-game suspension and an early guilty plea that will increase to three games should he fight the charge and be found guilty before the panel.
Milford had a night to forget when the Dolphins were beaten by city rivals Brisbane Broncos and was reported for tackling Reece Walsh off the ball.
Milford’s suspension causes pain for the Dolphins, who are already looking at life without injured fullback Hamiso Tabui-Fidow for the foreseeable future.
Most NRL fans criticized Milford for the tackle, labeling it a “dog shot” and asking why he wasn’t sinned too.
“There should have been 10 in the trash and reported,” one fan posted.
‘By tackling someone who never received the ball, it was clear that he was just trying to illegally manhandle the opponent’s star player. The ball was a kilometer away, excessive force. Pretty terrible things,’ added another.
‘That was nonsense. Reece was nowhere near the ball. Milf lost her way. posted another.
However, Storm fullback Papenhuyzen escaped with only a fine despite being charged with a hip-drop tackle on Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr.
The incident was not penalized on the field and Papenhuyzen was fined $750 by the MRC for his actions.
“Ryan Papenhuyzen made a big mistake with Josh Addo-Carr,” Fox League analyst Yvonne Sampson said after the game.
Mick Ennis responded: “It’s very difficult, it’s giving the impression that there’s no malice in it.”
Many NRL fans have wondered why Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was given such a lenient penalty given the league is cracking down on hip-drop tackles.
It was a mixed night for Papenhuyzen, who was penalized for a professional foul in an unrelated incident.
“He’s trying to save the try there because if Addo-Carr had been out (he would have scored). He just misses his legs, lands on the back of the leg, it’s a hip drop.
And fans were surprised by the leniency of the punishment, especially with the NRL cracking down on hip-drop tackles.
‘I wonder what the punishment would have been if it had been Victor Radley. I didn’t even throw 10 in the trash. Referee, bunker and judiciary inconsistency is next level,” asked one NRL fan.
‘So the hip drop tackle is allowed if you’re an NRL star. The NRL doesn’t care at all about the welfare of the players,” another fan fumed.
‘Haha but [Wests Tigers half] Lachie Galvin receives 2 weeks as a rookie. Make it make sense,” added another.
Storm teammates Reimis Smith (Careless High Tackle) and Alec MacDonald (Dangerous Contact) also face fines.
Bulldog Sam Hughes was charged with Grade 1 Dangerous Contact and faces a $1,800 fine for a second offense.
Broncos forward Jordan Riki has been charged with a Grade 1 Careless High Tackling offense and will be fined $1,000 if he pleads guilty early. The fine increases to $1,500 if he fights the charge and is unsuccessful.