Steve Matai

[niccipops]

If Matai gets suspended for that hit I will seriously protest - at least in my loungeroom.
This guy plays his heart and soul for Manly. Legend.

 

[sean1976]

Lets not forget the hit he put on Sam Burgess a couple of minutes later. Up there with Terry Randal as the best big hitter I've ever seen.

 

[manlyfan76]

Ball first no penalty. His arm did then contact the cats neck but Matai did not go on with it as cat was dropping like a sack of sh/t. Then he looks up for the penalty and stays down.

 

[Daddycool]

It was a great shot but it was high. Yes, the first point of contact was the ball but it still was in the danger area where if the arm bounced up it could have made contact with the head.... and that's what happened. If he aims a bit lower its still a great hit but without the possibility of making contact with the head.

 

[Technical Coach]

It was a great shot but it was high. Yes, the first point of contact was the ball but it still was in the danger area where if the arm bounced up it could have made contact with the head.... and that's what happened. If he aims a bit lower its still a great hit but without the possibility of making contact with the head.

Problem is Daddy he was trying to increase his chances of making a game changing tackle for the benefit of team by combining a big hit and hitting the ball doubling the chances of a knock on.

Aiming slightly lower can yes still induce a knock on through sheer impact but is less likely in some instances.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Maybe he needs to aim at the bottom of the ball, so the ball is squeezed up and his arm slips down. Should be pretty easy at top pace....

 

[BOZO]

Great power shot on burgess . Big george burgess reputation of being a tough guy is tarnished . He fell down like a bag of **** . The loss will do us good as we will be more motivated and better prepared for future games

 

[swoop]

I'll be surprised if he doesn't get suspended just because it is "bad boy Matai" and the media deathriding.

 

[Technical Coach]

Maybe he needs to aim at the bottom of the ball, so the ball is squeezed up and his arm slips down. Should be pretty easy at top pace....

Yeah we all make decisions with perfect timing and feel like we are the best in our "technical" field (AKA me) when we play the game in slow motion lol.

Easier to just aim at the entire ball when 20,500 people are looking on so that i get a little extra value of fun from my disposable income budget hehe i say but that is me being selfish.

 

[Daddycool]

He's still one of our best and most inspirational players, even though he often sails too close to the wind with his tackles. Hopefully a strong case can be made for the initial contact being the ball and any contact with the head was minimal. He'll probably miss a week but as long as he's back for the Roosters and Storm games.... that's more important.

 

[bones]

Matai's hit was a great one. I disagree that his arm hit the ball and bounced up to his head. It looked to me like his arm did hit the ball and the force of the hit made Burgess' head drop into Matai's arm.

 

[manlyfan76]

Matai's hit was a great one. I disagree that his arm hit the ball and bounced up to his head. It looked to me like his arm did hit the ball and the force of the hit made Burgess' head drop into Matai's arm.

every week many tacklers arms bounce off the ball and up and no player is suspended the next week. Matai should be on every highlight reel not at the judicary.

 

[DSM5]

He won't have any case to answer. Brett and The Idiot will though.

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Cambo showed me this

Yet there is certainly a modern day hatred for the club from the Northern Beaches of Sydney as well.
Apart from their success – the main ingredient in any case of hatred – a lot of the vitriol towards the club can be attributed to Steve Matai; a player whose frequency of visits to the NRL judiciary means he should pay rent there.
This is a man who single-handedly prevented Darren Lockyer playing in a semi-final two years ago. The legendary Brisbane Broncos five-eighth was nursing a broken cheekbone, and doctors advised him against playing because they thought Matai might target him.
That’s right, Lockyer didn’t play in a game of football because of the public knowledge Matai would attack his weakness. Never mind that ‘weakness’ was Lockyer’s head, and targeting it would have therefore been illegal.

 

[bones]

Good on ya Stevie... They're scared of you. Lol. And that fear may have helped us win a premiership. Matai is a legend.

 

[MadMarcus]

Cambo showed me this

Yet there is certainly a modern day hatred for the club from the Northern Beaches of Sydney as well.
Apart from their success – the main ingredient in any case of hatred – a lot of the vitriol towards the club can be attributed to Steve Matai; a player whose frequency of visits to the NRL judiciary means he should pay rent there.
This is a man who single-handedly prevented Darren Lockyer playing in a semi-final two years ago. The legendary Brisbane Broncos five-eighth was nursing a broken cheekbone, and doctors advised him against playing because they thought Matai might target him.
That’s right, Lockyer didn’t play in a game of football because of the public knowledge Matai would attack his weakness. Never mind that ‘weakness’ was Lockyer’s head, and targeting it would have therefore been illegal.

We should all be ashamed that Matai would target an opposition player's weakness... And the public should be ashamed of itself too for knowing all about it and doing nothing.

 

[Nike]

Cambo showed me this

Yet there is certainly a modern day hatred for the club from the Northern Beaches of Sydney as well.
Apart from their success – the main ingredient in any case of hatred – a lot of the vitriol towards the club can be attributed to Steve Matai; a player whose frequency of visits to the NRL judiciary means he should pay rent there.
This is a man who single-handedly prevented Darren Lockyer playing in a semi-final two years ago. The legendary Brisbane Broncos five-eighth was nursing a broken cheekbone, and doctors advised him against playing because they thought Matai might target him.
That’s right, Lockyer didn’t play in a game of football because of the public knowledge Matai would attack his weakness. Never mind that ‘weakness’ was Lockyer’s head, and targeting it would have therefore been illegal.

Biggest load of unsubstantiated crap I have ever read. If this was a newspaper article I hope the author gets sued for libel.

 

[Ralphie]

So what was the decision, is the club going to defend this?

 

[manlyfan76]

Accept the early according the BE in another thread.

 

[Rex]

When it comes to visits to the judiciary he gets hit with the "Matai loading" four times:
1. More likely to get charged because he "has form".
2. More likely to attract a higher grading because he "has form".
3. More likely to be found guilty because he "has form".
4. Lengthier suspensions because he "has form".

Prejudice is almost exclusively unconscious, so those making judgements incorrectly think they are being balanced in their decisions.

The sad facts facing Matai.