- Roosters 26 Sea Eagles 16
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Gone in 30 seconds: Roosters forward enters NRL hall of shame
Roosters coach Trent Robinson accused the NRL of shifting the goalposts after forward Nathan Brown was sent off within 30 seconds of coming onto the field in a convincing win over Manly on Thursday night.
Brown, the former NSW State of Origin enforcer, etched his name into NRL notoriety with a high shot on Sea Eagles forward Ben Trbojevic, which prompted his immediate dismissal from referee Ashley Klein.
Having waited 60 minutes to enter the field, with Robinson playing starting props Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Lindsay Collins for a marathon stretch, Brown fired out of the line to land a shot on Trbojevic, his first involvement in the game.
But the mid-season recruit faces a stretch on the sidelines, souring the Roosters’ commanding 26-16 victory at the SCG.
But the decision infuriated three-time premiership-winning coach Robinson. It was the first send-off in the NRL since Newcastle’s Jacob Saifiti in round two.
“When was the last send-off? Do we remember? We’ve had high tackles, we’ve had shoulder charges, we’ve had all of that,” he said. “It was a high tackle. He hit him in the neck. It had no effect on [Trbojevic].
“He got up and elbowed pretty quickly straight after that, which wasn’t cited and went unpunished. You don’t want to see it, and I don’t think it’s great for Ben. There’s so much worse than that that happens in the game. But that gets sent off?
“Guys have been heavily concussed from high tackles and nothing happened there tonight.”
Pressed on whether he thought a sin bin was sufficient, Robinson said: “On where the game is being adjudicated at the moment, 100 per cent. What made that stand out and be a send-off in the current climate? In the other code [rugby union], it would have been sent off. But in our code. that’s not how it’s adjudicated. It hit him high and in the neck.”
In a match which also featured Manly prop Tof Sipley being sin-binned and former Roosters star Matt Lodge tearing his ACL only eight minutes into a return bout, the Tricolours celebrated their 10-year premiership reunion in style.
It lifts them to just two points outside the top eight and a point behind 10th-placed Manly, whose own finals hopes are fading.
Nathan Brown is sent from the field 30 seconds after coming on as an interchange player.Credit: NRL Photos
Asked about the Brown send-off, Manly coach Anthony Seibold said: “I thought it was foul play. I was comfortable with the send-off. I hate commenting on other team’s players. It wasn’t deliberate.
“The Roosters were a better side tonight. I thought they won the physical battles and little one-on-one battles. But to our credit, we kept throwing some punches at the end.”
But they’ll have to keep doing it without Lodge, whose future is uncertain after only signing a train-and-trial deal until the end of the season with the Sea Eagles, who are already missing props Taniela Paseka, Josh Aloiai and Sean Keppie.
“[Lodge’s] obviously shattered,” Seibold said. “We’ll pick up the pieces over the next couple of days. I feel for him and his family.”
The 2013 premiership team reunion at the SCG, including Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in a Roosters jersey.Credit: NRL Photos
Whether it was Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s giddy embrace with Daniel Tupou in the change rooms before kick-off, or whether it was simply because they had no other choice, the Roosters put on a show for their old boys celebrating the 2013 premiership, ensuring there’s still the faintest of pulses on a season which could have done with a late cameo from Tuivasa-Sheck.
Tupou, the club’s all-time leading try-scorer, scored two tries before half-time. Joseph Suaalii proved he will fit right in at rugby union, kicking goals from all corners of the ground in the first half. Tuivasa-Sheck’s old coach threw it back as well, making his starting props Waerea-Hargreaves and Collins play the entire first half straight. He only made one change before half-time, Brandon Smith nine minutes before the break.
Seibold would have done anything to have a few fit props, Lodge limping off with a knee problem inside eight minutes, leaving Waerea-Hargreaves no bull to fight with in the other paddock. The Sea Eagles might have started the week one point outside the top eight, but they’ll do well to stay there by the end of it with the Panthers and Warriors also waiting in the next fortnight.
The NRL draw hasn’t helped them in the past month. They were on a five-day turnaround after an emotional win over the Dragons in Daly Cherry-Evans’ 300th game, their third match in 11 days. It showed.
Roosters forward Victor Radley tries to evade Manly’s Jake Trbojevic and teammates.Credit: Getty
They banged over first points after a Reuben Garrick penalty goal, and that was that until a late consolation flurry when the Roosters were down to 12 men.
Tupou would be about the only man in the NRL who could outjump Jason Saab, grabbing the first try off a Luke Keary kick, and he finished the scoring in the first half with one of those acrobatic put downs Tuivasa-Sheck would have loved. In between, Joseph Manu wrestled his way over from dummy-half and Billy Smith got in the act after the break.
But the second half will forever be remembered for Brown’s mad half-minute.
Is it too late for the Roosters? They’re still behind Manly on the ladder, with a points differential about as good as Brown’s tackle, but they could conceivably win their final four games against the Dolphins, Eels, Tigers and Rabbitohs.
They’ll just have to do it without Brown.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 26 (Daniel Tupou 2, Joseph Manu, Billy Smith, Joseph Suaalii tries; Suaalii 3 goals) defeated MANLY SEA EAGLES 16 (Josh Schuster, Brad Parker, Tolu Koula tries; Reuben Garrick 2 goals) at SCG. Referee: Ashley Klein. Crowd: 12,197.
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