Phil Gould has added to the livid backlash surrounding the choice to penalise Broncos ahead Martin Taupau over his unintended however sickening blow to the pinnacle of Canberra winger Jordan Rapana on Saturday evening.
The Brisbane enforcer left Rapana needing to be stretchered from the sector and needing 18 stitches after his knee collected his opponent’s head late in Canberra’s powerful 20-14 win at Suncorp Stadium .
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While most NRL followers and consultants had been fuming that Taupau was penalised for the unintended contact, Gould was seething over what he noticed as one other instance of referees attempting their greatest to award a penalty each time a participant will get injured.
“This has become chronic in our game, it’s actually become toxic in our game, that every time someone gets hurt, someone’s got to get blamed and punished for it,” Gould instructed Nine’s 100% Footy.
“This is professional football, it’s going to happen, we all understand it. There will be collisions and there will be moments in the game where people will get hurt. Get over it.
“We encourage so much that’s wrong for our game, that shades our game in a bad light.
“This game was about building character and about strong men playing the game. We want this game now to be played by gentlemen and gentle men.
“And that’s not rugby league.”
Fellow panellist, NRL nice Paul Gallen, argued that not solely ought to the incident not have been a penalty, the Broncos ought to have been awarded a strive given Kurt Capewell collected the ball and planted it over the strive line after it was dropped by Rapana within the dying phases of Canberra’s victory.
“Why shouldn’t it have been a try… (Rapana) made an error – he dropped the ball,” Gallen stated.
“(Capewell) picked it up and scored, I thought ‘they’re going to win this.”
The controversial incident and the resultant nasty damage to Rapana overshadowed a well-known win for the Raiders, who pulled off a monumental upset once more the NRL’s ladder leaders at Suncorp Stadium.
The NRL Match Review Committee introduced on Sunday Taupau won’t face any expenses from the incident, which left Rapana needing to be stretchered from the sector.
The recreation was stopped for about 5 minutes with slightly below 4 minutes to go after the Raiders winger had blood pouring from his head.
Rapana caught a bomb, dropping to the bottom, solely to search out the knee of a charging Marty Taupau because the Broncos prop tried to place stress on the kick.
The aftermath was Rapana and his jersey coated in blood because it leaked from a gash on his head.
But whereas the rugby league world nearly universally believed it was an accident, the bunker and referee Grant Atkins awarded a penalty to the Raiders. Taupau was additionally positioned on report.
Atkins stated whereas his arms had been within the air, it was a “careless act” just like when a participant was going for a try to was down low.
The majority of the Fox League commentary panel stated Taupau had been arduous carried out by — particularly because the penalty price the Broncos good area place and any probability that they had of equalling the scores within the closing jiffy of the Raiders’ 20-14 win.
The response from commentators across the recreation on social media was much more scathing of the penalty.
Former NRL referee Tim Mander posted on Twitter: “That is a joke of a penalty. It was incidental. You can’t penalise a player for clipping a bloke with his knee
“There is not always an indiscretion when there is a bad injury. That tackle wasn’t even careless. Rugby League is a collision sport. Sometimes there are injuries and no one is at fault.”
Former NRL prop ahead Martin Lang was additionally appalled {that a} penalty had been given.
“It’s an awkward game. I’m not sure what other option Taupau had aside from not getting out of his car when he arrived at the ground,” he posted on Twitter.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart additionally defended Taupau after the sport and stated he hoped that Taupau wouldn’t face any judiciary motion.
“It was an accident. I feel sorry for Marty Taupau. He didn’t mean to do that,” Stuart stated. “He came in (to the dressing-room) looking for Jordy, which was really nice of him.
“It was an unfortunate collision. Those accidents happen in these games. I hope he’s not suspended.”
Taupau spoke on radio in an on-field interview after the sport and stated he was “baffled” by the ruling.
“There definitely wasn’t any malice in that,” Taupau instructed ABC Sport.
“Obviously, in a contact sport you’re trying to do your very best to stay within the rules.
“I feel pretty saddened obviously with the injury he’s gotten out of that, but … in that instance, what do I do?
“Obviously there’s every intention of me trying to make a legal tackle … it was an accident, but yeah, what do you do? That’s the question.”
When knowledgeable of the reason given by the bunker because the penalty was awarded, Taupau responded: “That’s pretty ridiculous”.
Martin’s spouse Michelle Taupau additionally wrote on Twitter: “What a joke”.
Source: www.foxsports.com.au