Don’t fall for NAS sympathy con; ridiculous claims over Cleary blast — First Crack with Crawls

No one ever wants to see any player rubbed out of a grand final.

That said, don’t be conned into thinking big Nelson Asofa-Solomona is now the victim.

Lindsay Collins is the real victim.

The Roosters prop is the one we should be feeling sorry for.

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Not the Storm enforcer who went out and belted Collins out of the match in the very first tackle on Friday night.

It is the responsibility of the defender to have a duty of care when making a tackle at any stage of the game.

But from the opening kick-off it is even more important given the proven danger on this carry, where the ball runner is forced into a situation where he is almost always running into multiple defenders, with little chance of protecting himself.

It was horrible watching such a courageous and tough warrior of our game struggle to get to his feet before playing the ball backwards (prior to Collins being taken from the field).

If the Roosters had made the grand final Collins would not have been able to play due to the NRL’s stand-down policy.

Meanwhile, Asofa-Solomona was sent to the bin but then allowed to return and help the Storm advance to the grand final.

So how does Nelson now become the victim simply because he is facing a suspension?

It really doesn’t matter it if is four weeks or one week.

The fact is, he shouldn’t be playing in the grand final.

There was even a suggestion by our mate Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield that the NRL should consider delaying Asofa-Solomona’s ban until next year like they did with the Panthers’ Taylan May a couple of years back so May could play in the finals series.

“Why not?” Buzz wrote.

“A precedent has been set. Most fans would love to see him in the GF.”

Surely that is not the point.

If this was allowed to happen it could create mayhem down the track.

We all know what a shocking record Asofa-Solomona has when it comes to his questionable tackling technique.

If Nelson had bent his back by just a few centimetres this never would have happened.

Just because he is a giant of a man is not an excuse for taking out innocent rivals with illegal head contact.

We all want to see the game played tough, but it must be fair.

Otherwise abandon the rules and make it a free-for-all, and just forget about the danger of concussion injuries.

WHEN DID TELLING TRUTH BECOME A CRIME?

It is outrageous there was even a suggestion of sanctioning Ivan Cleary for his post-match spray at Bunker official Chris Butler.

Since when did telling the truth become a crime?

Cleary was only stating what plenty of the game’s smartest minds had already alluded to during the match coverage on Fox League and Channel Nine.

That is that the obstruction call that denied Sunia Turuva a legitimate try was a “terrible decision that gives me a lot of anxiety around next week”.

The experts on Cleary’s side include Andrew Johns, Cooper Cronk, Michael Ennis, Phil Gould, Corey Parker and Greg Alexander.

To a man they all thought it was a fair try given it was Cronulla’s Sifa Talakai who initiated the contact with the Panthers’ decoy runner Luke Garner.

Garner also appeared to make contact with Talakai’s inside shoulder, not the outside shoulder as Butler had claimed.

Yes, Cleary may have crossed the line marginally by mentioning his concern if Butler is appointed to the grand final.

But in fairness to the Panthers coach, you go back and listen to his media conference and it was obvious Clearly was having a crack at the obstruction interpretation, not the individual.

Cleary actually said his cause for concern would be “if either he (Butler) or someone else is going off the same script”.

Surely that is not questioning Butler’s integrity but the overriding confusion when it comes to this rule.

Thankfully the NRL has made a wise choice not to sanction Cleary.

The match officials have had ample time to clear this obstruction mess up during the season but chose to sidestep it.

The fact we are still talking about it leading into grand final week shows why the rule, and not the Panthers coach, is what should be under the blowtorch.

WHY WOULDN’T STORM ATTACK CLEARY?

There has been talk Ivan Cleary’s post-match rant at the match officials may have been designed specifically to take the pressure off Nathan’s dodgy shoulder.

Good luck with that.

Do you really think Cleary is that naive to believe Craig Bellamy would be so easily distracted?

Of course the Storm super coach will be coming up with all sorts of ways to put maximum pressure on Cleary’s shoulder come Sunday night after witnessing the champion halfback’s extraordinary performance in the 26-6 win over the Sharks.

It was yet again proof why Cleary is now without question the game’s greatest player.

To think he is still only 26 and already heading into his fifth straight grand final, with possibly another decade in the game to come, is just mind blowing.

It explains why Melbourne will be doing everything possible to limit his influence.

As long as the Storm stay within the rules, there can be no complaints.

But it’s worth recalling how Cleary initially reinjured his shoulder in the last encounter between these two teams back in round 24.

Storm prop Josh King had Cleary in a reverse body lock while clasping his hands around Cleary’s torso to apply extra pressure.

Cleary could be seen to pop his shoulder as he tried to use his left arm to push up off the ground to play the ball with King holding him tight.

There was nothing illegal in what King did, but it highlighted how easily this could happen again.

Now we hear respected NRL physio Brien Seeney describe Cleary’s injury as a “ticking time bomb”, adamant “it could pop out in one tackle and his game is over”.

The fact Cleary hurt his shoulder in the closing minutes on the weekend but initially played on (and was then all smiles at the post-match presser) didn’t convince me this wasn’t a major concern for the Panthers.

PAPS OVER PONGA FOR KANGAROO CALL UP?

After all the injuries Ryan Papenhuyzen has gone through, how good was it to see the 2020 Clive Churchill Medallist show he is finally getting back to somewhere near his dazzling best.

And if Mal Meninga chooses not to pick Kalyn Ponga after the drama of last week, Papenhuyzen could be a more than handy Kangaroos substitute off the bench.

If he comes up with a performance nearly as good in the grand final it would have to become a topic for debate.

It also showed why the Storm won’t want to lose this bloke even allowing for the emergence of young Sua Fa’alogo.

I still think Dylan Edwards should be in front to be the Kangaroos’ starting fullback if he is fit for the end of season event.

MUNSTER STATS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’

We’ve already highlighted Nathan Cleary’s breathtaking performance.

But what about the Storm halves Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes.

Hughes bagged three tries and was arguably the best player on the field against the Roosters to prove why he is a worthy Dally M Medal favourite.

But how about Munster’s stats. All up, he had 17 runs for 153m including two tries, eight tackle busts and three line breaks.

That’s just extraordinary numbers for a five-eighth.

Harry Grant wasn’t too shabby, either.

IS ROBBO ON THE ‘WAYNE’?

We’ve spent months talking about the precarious challenge Wayne Bennett faces reinventing South Sydney.

Well, what about the man in charge of the Rabbitohs’ arch rivals?

There is not a coach in the NRL facing more pressure next year than Trent Robinson after copping a 30-point flogging in the preliminary final loss.

That is certainly not suggesting Robinson’s job will be under any immediate threat.

But the Roosters’ lofty standards certainly are a massive cause for concern moving forward.

Did you hear what Matty Johns had to say after the 48-18 humiliation?

“I hear all the time they say ‘Roosters football, the Roosters’ way.’ Well, they’ve got to tear it up because it (isn’t) working,” Johns said.

Johns added the Roosters’ “inability to beat those sides isn’t about the roster, it is about the style of football they play”.

With so many senior players leaving including Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Luke Keary, Joey Manu along with Joseph Suaalii and Sitili Tupouniua, the Roosters face a massive challenge keeping pace with the competition’s heavyweights from here.

It has surely become a real concern within just how far the Roosters have fallen behind the Storm and the Panthers in recent years.

The Roosters are a club that traditionally don’t stand for excuses.

Chairman Nick Politis makes sure they go into every season with a roster capable of matching strides with the big boys.

But unless they hit the market for some big name recruits in the coming months, it could be a tough start next year with Sam Walker sidelined until May and Brandon Smith July.

YEO WORTHY OF KANGAROO CAPTAINCY

If Nathan Cleary is not available for the Kangaroos and James Tedesco misses out to Dylan Edwards, Isaiah Yeo would make a worthy Australian captain.

It was great scenes watching Yeo lead the Panthers on the field with club great Steve Carter on hand as Yeo took over as the most capped player.

To watch the modern day Ron Coote then go out and play such a dominant role in the big win showed yet again why this bloke is the Panthers’ unsung hero.

WHY WASN’T CHEAP SHOT A SIN BIN?

It was an absolute joke Sifa Talakai wasn’t sin binned for his cheap shot on Jarome Luai.

All season we have seen players binned for late contact not nearly as bad.

Same deal with Jahrome Hughes’s professional foul that went through to the keeper after he took out Angus Crichton close to the line.

And they tell us the finals are played under the same rule interpretations.

Go figure.

TRINDALL ANSWERS PRICE TAG CRITICS

Braydon Trindall certainly answered questions about whether the Sharks’ new chief playmaker is worthy of a massive pay rise when he hits the open market on November 1.

With Trindall off contract at the end of next season, he showed yet again why the Sharks simply can’t afford to lose him.

I rated Trindall a solid 7 for his performance. On the flip side Nicho Hynes was lucky to be a 5 (I saw The Daily Telegraph rate Hynes a 3).

It was a gutsy effort from the Sharks to stay in the game for as long as they did.

But it also again highlighted the biggest decision ahead for Craig Fitzgibbon in the coming months.

With Hynes having a finals series to forget, Trindall has to start next season wearing the seven jumper.

And there has to be an argument Daniel Atkinson will challenge Hynes to be his halves partner.

BELLAMY’S HUMILITY SHINES ON STORM

You can see where the Storm players get their humility.

How good was it to watch Craig Bellamy show respect to departing Roosters Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke Keary as the Storm formed a guard of honour.

I also loved Cameron Smith’s post-match interview when he told his old coach to enjoy the preparations ahead of Bellamy’s 10th NRL grand final.

You could tell by Bellamy’s response he had no clue, even though Smith laughed that he would have surely known the stat.

For a coach who has achieved so much, the way Bellamy continually keeps his feet on the ground is something to admire.

AND THE ACADEMY AWARD GOES TO…

Best acting performance of the weekend came from big Tom Hazelton when the Sharks giant dropped like he’d been shot after a gentle shove in the back from Luke Garner.

The fact it resulted in a penalty was just ridiculous.

Yet another issue the NRL must address at this much anticipated post season summit Wayne Bennett is calling for.