Frank Pritchard ... Grade 1???? Are You Serious!!!!

[Brookie Brawler]

I sorta recall Matai getting off a sorta similar thing just prior to the 2011 GF actually..

Similar in that knees were involved but IIRC Matai was tackling the guy over the sideline or going for the ball and it was more of a tangle ending up with contact with his knee.

I do remember saying at the time that while it wasn't really deserving of a charge, if a Manly loading DID exist he would have missed the GF so all future unfair suspensions should be put down to incompetence rather than corruption.

Gee the incompetence SEEMS to work out well for the dogs a lot though...

I just wish they would make the penalties for deliberate/reckless acts like elbows, knee twists, trips and ACTUAL chicken wings higher than for obviously accidental incidents that happen in the course of every game like minor high shots, dangerous position and shoulder collisions.

I wonder what would have happened to Kasiano if Widdop had broken his neck as a result of that tackle last week.

 

[Brothers manly]

Have you all forgotten Greg Inglis' TWO swinging arms to the head.
I was at the game and looked bad.

 

[Brothers manly]

Oh sorry ....an eye gouge as well.......Luke Keary.

 

[Jase Seaeagle]

Its a Joke alright but what do you expect when Turdburg is in control . If it was Skivvy he would of got 6 weeks

 

[Jase Seaeagle]

Have you all forgotten Greg Inglis' TWO swinging arms to the head.
I was at the game and looked bad.

But G.I didn't hit Gallen hard enough in one of them.

 

[Bird of Prey]

Dont know why you would expect anything different its finals time so do what you please with little or no sanction from the big boys up town. I found it strange Souths where out of the game with 10 to go and they didnt try to smash the crap out of the sharks would have been entertaining.

 

[HoldenV8]

On the Kasiano side of things, I haven't seen where his contact was, but I have absolutely no issue with a defender coming in and whacking a bloke who is surrendering on the ground, as long as it is legal. Annoys me when I see players get penalized for slamming into a fullback who has dove to the turf and surrendered

Kiwi Eagle, Kasiano was the second defender who came in and if you get a chance to look at it, the way his torso hits Widdop's head and neck and pushes the forward in a crusher type tackle (with all the forward momentum of his 122 kg frame) is sickening to watch. It could very easily have turned into another Alex McKinnon, and at worst it could have caused a basilar skull fracture which usually ends up being fatal (the type of injury is what killed F1 driver Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and also killed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Sr at the 2001 Daytona 500).

I seriously doubt that Kasiano had any intention of it ending up like it did or of injuring Widdop. But he had already been caught by Pritchard's knees while he was on the ground. There wasn't much reason for him to actually hit him like he did because Widdop wasn't going to get up.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Kiwi Eagle, Kasiano was the second defender who came in and if you get a chance to look at it, the way his torso hits Widdop's head and neck and pushes the forward in a crusher type tackle (with all the forward momentum of his 122 kg frame) is sickening to watch. It could very easily have turned into another Alex McKinnon, and at worst it could have caused a basilar skull fracture which usually ends up being fatal (the type of injury is what killed F1 driver Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and also killed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Sr at the 2001 Daytona 500).

I seriously doubt that Kasiano had any intention of it ending up like it did or of injuring Widdop. But he had already been caught by Pritchard's knees while he was on the ground. There wasn't much reason for him to actually hit him like he did because Widdop wasn't going to get up.

Yep fair point there, he did have time to pull out of that one and treading a fine line with it

 

[HoldenV8]

It really turned into an unintentional crusher tackle. But then again, aren't most crushers unintentional? This just looked a lot worse because Widdop was already on the ground when Kasiano threw his Double Whopper with Cheese frame at him. Luckily it didn't end up as bad as it looked.

 

[KOMORI]

It really turned into an unintentional crusher tackle. But then again, aren't most crushers unintentional? This just looked a lot worse because Widdop was already on the ground when Kasiano threw his Double Whopper with Cheese frame at him. Luckily it didn't end up as bad as it looked.

It's the sort of thing that easily could have ended up worse though. Pritchard I can see the accidental in, Kasiano was trying to nail a player on the ground.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

The hypocrisy of the MRC and the judiciary shows no abounds.

Willie gets done for 5 weeks in two separate instances for what are nothing but " love taps" and some of this dirty grubby injury inflicting tactical tackling is just brushed under the carpet.

Of course we you had Toddy Greenslime in the Blue and White corner then anything can be expected.

 

[Rex]

The NRL suspension and grading system has lost sight of the forest for the trees. They are obsessed with technicalities of rules, leaving no room at all for common sense and, importantly, for professional judgement.

Forget the Pritchard decision. It is a judgement call on whether there was an opportunity to pull out of the collision. Deserving of a penalty? Yes, to discourage any hint of knees (just like auto penalties for high tackles). A suspension? Maybe, maybe not.

However, the style of the Kasiano hit could so easily, and predictably, have caused another Alex McKinnon injury. Within the rules? Perhaps (shows how deficient the rules are). Reckless endangerment? Absolutely. Negligent? From a medical standpoint, for player safety, yes. As HoldenV8 pointed out it was significantly more dangerous than a crusher tackle because it is a crusher tackle with huge, huge amounts of momentum behind it.

Similarly, the Eastwood tackle that won the Bulldogs the game by putting Marshall out injured? Within the rules? Yes. Reckless endangerment? Absolutely. Negligent? From a medical standpoint, for player safety, yes.

With the current ridiculous rules and interpretations we get two weeks (Burgess) for harmlessly throwing a water bottle on the ground towards a player, and five weeks (Willie) for a two harmless chest bumps. Seriously?

The solution? Change the rules to re-introduce a focus on professional judgement, and giving priority to player safety. The first question should be was player safety unreasonably endangered? Then, if so, how badly was it endangered? Then consider reckless/negligent/intention to help determine seriousness. Allow professional judgements.

 

[Bird of Prey]

Soccer has illegal tackles and dangerous tackles. Eastwods and Pritchards if not illegal where both dangerous and as such should have been dealt with appropriatley.

 

[killerspud]

Kiwi Eagle, Kasiano was the second defender who came in and if you get a chance to look at it, the way his torso hits Widdop's head and neck and pushes the forward in a crusher type tackle (with all the forward momentum of his 122 kg frame) is sickening to watch. It could very easily have turned into another Alex McKinnon, and at worst it could have caused a basilar skull fracture which usually ends up being fatal (the type of injury is what killed F1 driver Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and also killed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Sr at the 2001 Daytona 500).

I seriously doubt that Kasiano had any intention of it ending up like it did or of injuring Widdop. But he had already been caught by Pritchard's knees while he was on the ground. There wasn't much reason for him to actually hit him like he did because Widdop wasn't going to get up.

Absolutely spot on 100% , couldn't agree more. Could have been sited for unnecessary roughness?? I recall a Manly player attracting a penalty for unnecessary roughness earlier in the year.