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It’s completely understandable why the Sydney Roosters are blowing up about arch-rivals the Melbourne Storm seemingly getting a free pass when it comes to the NRL’s match review committee.
The Roosters get Lindsay Collins rubbed out for four weeks until the grand final, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was sin binned and hit with a $3000 fine yet somehow inexplicably – once again – Storm forward Nelson Asofa Solomona escapes with only a $3000 fine and Felise Kaufusi gets off scot free.
The Friday night showdown between two of the NRL’s heavyweight teams was like a grand final arrived early such was the physicality and skill level involved in what was an enthralling contest.
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Before the usual suspects go into meltdown about Storm-bashing leading into the finals this has clearly become one of the biggest issues in the game under the NRL’s new match review committee system this season.
Nelson has now been hit with five fines totalling $11,800 this year yet somehow managed to escape suspension every time.
Big NAS’s rap sheet also fails to include when he knocked two of Warriors hooker Wade Egan’s teeth out in round 20 which the Match Review Committee somehow deemed warranted no penalty.
That was the incident the Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns stated should have warranted a four month suspension if the NRL was fair dinkum.
Granted, Nelson plays the toughest position on the field and was engaged in a heated battle with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Victor Radley on Friday night.
But it’s incredible to think he’s only been suspended for a grand total of six weeks considering some of the incidents the big Melbourne prop has been involved in over the course of his 163-match NRL career.
It’s a similar story for fellow serial offender Felise Kaufusi who also raised the ire of the Roosters when he escaped suspension for an incident on Tricolours front rower Sio Suia Taukeiaho for what looked awfully close to a hip drop tackle.
Again, Roosters prop Collins gets a four week suspension – yet Kaufusi gets a free pass.
Collins deserved to be suspended but it does frame the question of how the Melbourne Storm seem to have escaped the same level of on-field scrutiny as the rest of the NRL?
There was even an incident involving the NRL’s best player Cameron Munster on Sam Walker where he dropped an elbow on the rookie half in the Friday night blockbuster.
Munster got lashed with the NRL’s “concerning act” letter, which is the equivalent of a wet lettuce compared to what the Storm fullback hit Walker with.
Meanwhile Sharks forward Dale Finucane cops a three-game ban for his shot on Panther Stephen Crichton, Brisbane captain Pat Carrigan gets four weeks for a hip drop and Cowboy Coen Hess is looking at a one game ban for racing out of the line on South Sydney’s Campbell Graham.
It’s all as clear as mud.
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