I’ll put it out there now: I’m mates with Victor Radley. But his sin-binning late against St George Illawarra on Anzac Day at Allianz Stadium was laughable.
None of the camera angles suggested to me or the viewers that his shoulder made contact with Dragons’ prop Michael Molo’s head.
If there were, the NRL should release it to take the heat of themselves and explain to us why he was sent from the field.
You can’t take accidental contact out of the game. I know some of it doesn’t look good, including the Radley tackle, but what can a player do? He cannot just disappear.
Defence is about footwork; like how a boxer or shot-putter might plant his feet before throwing a punch or putting the ball. Radley did nothing wrong: he had his feet planted.
And, if you watch the tackle, Molo props and rolls. He moves about six inches, which only adds to the contact between the heads.
Victor Radley is sent to the sin bin on Anzac Day.Credit: Getty
The noise is the giveaway: you can hear the heads clashing. Yuck.
For me, it wasn’t even a penalty. You cannot take accidents out of the game.
People talk about a “duty of care” but what about the duty of care of the player carrying the ball?
The NRL is making a point with the sin-bins and with head contact. Some I don’t agree with, but the important thing is that they’re consistent.
Radley was on Wednesday given a grade-one careless high-tackle charge, which shows the NRL thinks there was no shoulder involved.
If there was, with his record and loading, he would be sitting on the sidelines for a month. He’s accepted a $3000 fine.
Slick Sloan a shining light for St George Illawarra
I’m so happy to see Dragons fullback Tyrell Sloan starting to shine. His performance against the Roosters was his best match since making his NRL debut.
He had a rough day in the Charity Shield at the start of the year when Latrell Mitchell put an arm around him in support.
Tyrell Sloan attempts to score against the Roosters on Tuesday.Credit: Getty
He’s had some challenges in his life but the way he holds himself on the field now is great to see. He’s got so much potential.
We’ve got some great fullbacks coming through in the NRL: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Reece Walsh and Sloan. All of them are beautiful runners of the ball, gliding across the field.
When they change direction, they gain speed. Sloan’s try under the posts when he cut infield against the Roosters was special.
The key for him is to keep working on his game. I haven’t seen much of a passing game from him, but that will come.
Mostly, he needs to determine what plays suit him best in different areas of the field, and work on his combinations with Ben Hunt and Junior Amone.
Some ruck plays out of dummy half in the middle could be a real threat.
His potential is endless, and I look forward to watching him develop over the next 10 years.
Sharks can improve but a class above Cowboys
Thursday Night Football on Nine between Cronulla and North Queensland is an intriguing match.
The Sharks’ win over the Bulldogs on Saturday was solid, but they didn’t get out of third gear.
They’ve been OK this season, but have a lot of improvement in them, particularly their defence. The loss to the Warriors at home earlier this month showed a frailty in their left-side defence and that must change.
As for the Cowboys, they’ve been average.
They’ve had a run of injuries, compared to last year when they only used 25 players, and there’s also talk about a World Cup hangover with players coming back late, but that’s a copout.
Maybe it’s the weight of expectation.
I’ve experienced it before: living in a rugby league town as they do means you start getting a lot of pats on the back. It can be a factor.
JOEY’S TIP: Sharks by 12.
FIRST TRYSCORER: Ronaldo Mulitalo.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Nicho Hynes.
Viva Las Vegas… maybe
This may surprise some people, but I’ve never been to Las Vegas.
I’m old enough and smart enough to know I can’t go near places such as these.
But that might change if the NRL decides to take two matches there next year for the start of the season, as reported earlier this week.
There could be some merit in it as a one-off, especially if the NRL can leverage the celebrity of Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.
When I’ve had mates from the US visiting, they are blown away by the physicality of rugby league when they watch it for the first time.
Could the game get a foothold in the American market?
There are plenty of quality players who don’t make it in the NFL, but I think the money would be better invested in our backyard.
But it could be a lot of fun.
Forty NRL players, their support staff, commentary teams, journos and of course fans, all in Sin City — what could possibly go wrong?
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