- Liam Martin was sentenced to the bin on Wednesday night
- He escaped punishment for an ugly tackle in the first half
- But they threw him out for patting a rival on the head.
Lightning failed to strike twice for Liam Martin on Wednesday night, with the NSW star finally sinning after avoiding punishment for an ugly first-half tackle at the MCG.
The Blues enforcer, in Andrew Johns’ opinion, should have had a 10-minute spell on the bench after lifting Reuben Cotter off the ground, bending him beyond parallel.
“This will be a sin for Liam Martin, if they are consistent,” Johns said on Channel 9.
‘We saw one at the weekend with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for the Warriors. He picks it up. “He helps you cross the parallel,” he added.
However, Martin survived, in a decision that set the football world alight.
But justice prevailed in the second half, albeit in bizarre fashion, as Martin was sent to a temporary spell on the sidelines after rubbing Jaydn Su’a’s head amid a shoving match.
The Channel 9 commentary team described the action as an “aggressive head massage.”
Maroons star Pat Carrigan was also sent packing as Queensland failed to keep calm amid a New South Wales attack.
More to follow.
Liam Martin sentenced for rubbing rival player’s head in Origin II
Martin was lucky not to be temporarily sidelined for a poor tackle early in the game.