CNH's hit on Hughes was around the upper-chest/throat area. That's pretty bad, I admit. He copped a fair suspension, and he seemed to agree it was warranted.
Latrell's shoulder was flush on the face of Manu. I can't describe that any way than.... 'it's much, much worse'. And Latrell stayed on the field, Manu had to shirt-front him to get attention to it, and even after that - with Manu's face puffing up like a marshmallow, Latrell still looks defiant, victimised, 'wtf are you talking about'....
The slow-mo clearly shows Latrell - after the hit has landed - swinging his arm where Manu's head WOULD have been if he hadn't just caved in his face and sent him base-over-apex into the turf.
I just don't know what other way to say this - he went in with with massive intent. From halfway across the field, he lined the guy up and went for an impact hit that would be remembered.
Gould and Gallen and Co. say that Latrell went into this tackle to 'assert his authority', that 'it's not his go', but there are 2 things here - he either got it VERY wrong, or they are simply wrong, and Latrell went into cause as much dmg as possible in an attempt to 'assert authority', and he got it wrong. Regardless, he intended dmg and it happened, or he didn't intend dmg, and it happened.
Perhaps he got it right, completely as intended, against a player he used to play with train with, and knows how good he is - regardless, both outcomes should carry the most serious of penalties, as there is no way that the 'victim' of this ends up in a way that adheres to PVL's purported 'protecting the players' stance...
On talent, Latrell is a superstar. He is a massive drawcard. He is one of a handful of players you can compare in raw ability to our own beloved Turbo (even if Turbo doesn't need to be a POS to stamp his authority).
However.......Latrell is also an absolute C*nt. A bad sportsman. Throwing the ball - at point blank, when he's on the ground lamenting an opposition try - in the face of his ex-team-mate after he scores a try he should never have been given the opportunity to score, just proves his quality. The guy is simply an asshole. He loves the confrontation. He itches for it.
Simply put, If Latrell plays again this year, the rules are guidelines, PVL is full of ****, and the NRL is about protecting marketability - not protecting players. Latrell showed no remorse, no contrition - he went in and pegged the ball at his ex-team-mates head at point-blank as he felt hard done by. Victimised. It wasn't because he did anything, its because he's 'Latrell Mitchell' the self-declared best player in the league, that tall-poppy hunters are out to get. The only thing Mitchell need to get is over himself.
Watching Flegler get 10mins tonight, can you really say there is any comparison? Result was the same on the game - but Flegler's hit is not going to end some poor guy's season...it was not a long-distance, lined-up, calculated Dog-shot. Flegler was loose no doubt, and will pay the penalty, Jack Williams will live to fight another day - he is not in hospital calculating if his face will look different for the rest of his life. Thanks to an ex Team-mate landing that shot on him.
Do the right thing NRL. Ignore all the 'indicators' of bias-based concern - it isn't because he has indigenous heritage. It isn't because he is playing for a top-4 side. It isn't because a specific referee at a specific time, in a specific place decided to give Latrell exceptional treatment. He just did the dog-act of the season, won't accept that is the truth of it, and as a result won't show any remorse. He deserves to be rubbed out for the remainder of the year.
And as surprising as this might sound - I actually enjoy watching a prodigious talent like Latrell strutting his stuff. Totally self-inflicted, and needs to be made an example of - as it's not isolated. Precedent exists.
