MANLY prop Josh Starling hopes an early guilty plea last week won't forever taint him as an eye-gouger.
Starling was charged with unnecessary/dangerous contact to the face of South Sydne
y forward Dave Tyrrell in Manly's loss a fortnight ago — an early plea meaning he avoided suspension.
A super buy this season, Starling said gouging had never — and would never — be part of his game.
"I never have, no. Actions happen, it's a footy field," said Starling, preparing for Friday's match against Parramatta at Pirtek Stadium.
"Hopefully I won't be in that situation again. The still-shot (published in The Daily Telegraph) didn't do me any justice. We watched the footage and there was nothing in it."
Asked could he be labelled a gouger, Starling said: "Hopefully not. People probably think that I am. It doesn't matter, you've just got to move on.
"There was backlash on Twitter, people giving it to me.
"You can't pay too much attention to that. If you do that, then it would have been a pretty sad couple of weeks.
"I sort of laughed because I didn't think anything would come about but then it got a bit more serious and then I had to try and justify myself I guess.
"If I had got him he would have grabbed his eye. None of that ever happened. The footage shows it was nothing. I couldn't do too much about it.
"I am good mates with Dave Tyrrell and he knows there was nothing in it. I had dinner with him last night and caught up with a few of the boys."
Starling and Brenton Lawrence may not receive the accolades but their contribution to Manly this season cannot be understated.
The pair will front up again on Friday against a giant Eels pack, ready to retain any hope of making the finals.
And the game will pit Eels coach Brad Arthur against his former club. Arthur became Parramatta head coach this year after a stint as Manly assistant.
"I've got a massive rap on Brad Arthur. I have said that before, he is a great coach," said Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran.
"He was held in high regard when he was here. I think everyone else has now seen what he has been able to do with the Parramatta side.
"It's a big task against them. He knows a lot of our games very well so he'll know what he is coming up against. We will have to adapt things a bit differently this Friday night.
"I know that Brad enjoyed his time here, he learned a lot from the playing group. Maybe he has tried to take a bit of what he got out here over there. Brad has a very good work ethic. He was always one of the earliest here and the last to leave, like all the coaches here. They all have work ethics.
"His attention to detail was what impressd me the most. He always pulled up things in people's game that he thought wasn't quite right."
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Dean Ritchie
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/manly-sea-eagles-forward-josh-starling-insists-im-no-eyegouger/story-fni3gnk1-1227032159307