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The Sending Off is Dead - Soliola ban


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Soliola knocks Billy Slater out with a vary late tackle to the head.

Slater is carried off.

Soliola and his team fear the worst, but the ref who has plenty of time to consider the options eventually chooses the wrong one and severely puts Soliola on report, nothing more.

If that wasn't a sending off then nothing is.

Yes, the send off is dead.

 

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I've just seen the footage. That was a pretty ordinary* tackle.

I don't know about sending Soliola off, but it warranted at the very least 10 minutes in the bin (for the lateness). The way I see it, they considered that the tackle was unfortunate because Slater was already falling backwards, hence coping the arm in the mellon instead of the chest.

I agree with the title though, the sending-off is dead and has been for a while in the NRL. They'll probably revive it for a couple of nothing incidents just to prove everyone wrong.

I hope Slater is OK and good to go next week. I don't like him as a player, but I hate seeing a player coping a head shot and being stretchered to top it off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* late and a tad high

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Tony Archer's take on the incident.

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NRL referees boss Tony Archer has admitted Canberra's Sia Soliola should have been sent off for a sickening hit on Billy Slater which knocked out the Melbourne superstar.

The Raiders forward's late swinging arm to Slater's head wasn't enough to convince referee Matt Cecchin to give Soliola his marching orders early in the second half of Saturday's clash at GIO Stadium.

The high shot ended Slater's night, but the Storm rallied with Cameron Smith also going off injured, edging out the Raiders 20-14 in a gritty battle.

"It's important to note that Sia Soliola is on report and the matter will be addressed by the Match Review Committee," Archer said in a statement.

"But based on a review of the tackle, the incident did meet the indicators of a send off."

Melbourne immediately sent an angry missive to the NRL after the match, which is also set to keep Cameron Smith sidelined for weeks.

The rugby league world was in uproar as Soliola was merely placed on report and penalised for the 49th-minute late challenge on  Slater, who was carried off on a medicab with concussion.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/referees-boss-tony-archer-admits-sia-soliola-should-have-been-sent-off-for-brutal-hit-on-billy-slater-20170722-gxgq5t.html

Up, up Cronulla; The boys in the black, white and blue; Up, up Cronulla; Name of the Sharks fits you; Sharks, Sharks forever; Go out and play without fear; Now's the time to see good football*; For the Sharks are here!

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Even though it appears Archer seems to criticise the refs, this was a serious failure by the match referees, and his criticism is too little too late.

The refs should have been totally aware of the incident in full having had five minutes to consider the assault and its repercussions. 

Can't agree with you Vichy on the excuse that Billy was slipping. Soliola had all the time in the world to pull out of that head shot, even if you just see it that Billy's head shouldn't have been that low. It was very late. It was dangerous.

We know how serious the consequences of this could have been both in the short and long term.

The match referees and anyone supplying them with information failed in the most important mportant aspect of their role and responsibility.

They should be given the red card.

Soliola needs to get a ban to make him pay for what he did and modify his actions in future. The refs need to pay for their inaction, and be made to realise their serious failure.

In conclusion, Storm were right to be furious.

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Graham, I agree that it was late and on that "lateness" alone the tackle should have been punished (at least by a sin bin). I think I wrote as much in my first post.

I was merely trying to understand how the main refs (if the on-field refs missed it, the bunker could probably have helped them there) analysed the situation. Players usually get the benefit of the doubt when an opponent is slipping into a high tackle. Was it the right decision in this instance (ie putting the tackle on report and nothing more)? Obviously not. We all agree on that.

However, it's merely the latest of many such decisions over the past few seasons. It doesn't make this one any more right than the previous ones mind you. Soliola will hopefuly cop the lengthy ban he deserves although, if his record with the judiciary is good, he'll probably get 2-3 weeks at most.

Now, I'm afraid that as the result of this error in judgement (from the referees) and its aftermath, players will be send-off for no good reason for a while. That kind of knee-jerk reaction, if it were to happen, is not something I'd want either.

Up, up Cronulla; The boys in the black, white and blue; Up, up Cronulla; Name of the Sharks fits you; Sharks, Sharks forever; Go out and play without fear; Now's the time to see good football*; For the Sharks are here!

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50 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

I thought they were lucky the previous week when Papalli put a direct shoulder charge to Dugans head and didn't go. 

They were... Especially since shoulder charges are supposedly banned.

Up, up Cronulla; The boys in the black, white and blue; Up, up Cronulla; Name of the Sharks fits you; Sharks, Sharks forever; Go out and play without fear; Now's the time to see good football*; For the Sharks are here!

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Yes, Vichy, it wouldn't surprise me either if we see a couple of sendings off between now and the end of the season after this.

NRL sendings off are as rare as hens' teeth though.

I remember David Shillington being sent off a couple of years ago, and he was the first to be sent off then for about two years before that.

The Soliola/Slater incident is here- Click - Video Playback 

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On 22 July 2017 at 0:04 PM, Graham said:

Soliola knocks Billy Slater out with a vary late tackle to the head.

Slater is carried off.

Soliola and his team fear the worst, but the ref who has plenty of time to consider the options eventually chooses the wrong one and severely puts Soliola on report, nothing more.

If that wasn't a sending off then nothing is.

Yes, the send off is dead.

 

But the ref did put him on report severely Graham :ph34r:

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4 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

But the ref did put him on report severely Graham :ph34r:

Yes, he put his second best serious face on and then hexed him.

 

On reflection the ref's poor handling was almost as bad as the hatchet head shot.

The shirking of responsibility there was deserving of the ref missing some games.

Some are saying Soliola is such a nice bloke, he went up and appeared to apologise as Billy was stretchered morionless off. Oh yes and Mr. Cecchin is one of the best if not THE best ref in the NRL. That's making excuses for the indefensible! No, just call it as it was: a dangerous and reckless shot and an incompetant piece of refereeing.

Soliola's actions were dangerous. If his job was to take Billy out of the game and stay on the field, then he couldn't have done it better.

 

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Would you let your child play the sport if someone was allowed to do that to them and stay on the pitch.

Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor but because we cannot satisfy the rich.

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Canberra forward Sia Soliola has been suspended for five games for the dangerous contact that knocked Melbourne NRL fullback Billy Slater out cold. 

Soliola’s defence lawyer Nick Ghabar argued that the hit on Slater was careless and not reckless, and that the Raider deserved only a three-week ban given the Storm fullback was falling in the tackle.

But in a 100-minute hearing, NRL counsel Anthony Lo Surdo told the three-man panel that the hit was reckless and needed a six-week ban.

Soliola will be able to return for the Raiders’ round-26 clash with Melbourne.

 

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At the end of the session he apologised to Billy and his family. Fair and decent.

5 games was close to what I thought he'd get given the publicity and outrage expressed, and the statement made by Tony Archer. Thought it would be 6.

Given that the case has been heard that just about wraps the matter up, assuming Billy recovers well in the meantime. There is though the matter of the poor decision and lack of action by the officials on duty for the game. One actually indicated a striking action was involved. Soliola played a key role in Raiders comeback try. Any more of that and that really would have rubbed salt into Storm's wound.

I take it the official(s) will pay a proper penalty for their failure?

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Let`s get back to having one ref on the park,back to the days when the refs made proper decisions,not passing the buck to the linos and ultimately the Bunker. Another very gray area is the hit on the kickers,some of these so called attempted tackles or charge downs are horrendous and someone will get badly hurt if nothing is done. Any contact after the ball has been kicked should be penalised,more so because the kicker is completely defenceless after he`s kicked the ball. To me it`s an easy way for the opposite team to target the play makers and knock them out of the game.

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I understand the desire to let the game flow, refs blowing their acme thunderers or similar less, but clear and deliberate and dangerous play has to be stamped out. Refs have to blow the whistle and take action that shows that this sort of won't be allowed and will be punished e.g late tackles in open play, late tackles on kickers, defenders deliberately moving to obstruct chasing attackers, even lazy stuff like not playing the ball properly. 

The message will get through and then the game will flow again without the level of deliberate fouling being as high.

Another thought on Soliola, Maybe he was given the job to target Billy to keep his contribution to the game limited, and went for it big time. He should have "went" for it on the day.

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Fair punishment. I think the prosecutor asked for 6 weeks, Graham.

Now let's hope there is no over reaction until the end of the season.

Up, up Cronulla; The boys in the black, white and blue; Up, up Cronulla; Name of the Sharks fits you; Sharks, Sharks forever; Go out and play without fear; Now's the time to see good football*; For the Sharks are here!

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Currently playing: Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism & Swing States 2012

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23 hours ago, Graham said:

.../...

I take it the official(s) will pay a proper penalty for their failure?

"Demoted" * for this round, I read.

 

* Bunker boy (Suttor) is not a senior official for this round.

Up, up Cronulla; The boys in the black, white and blue; Up, up Cronulla; Name of the Sharks fits you; Sharks, Sharks forever; Go out and play without fear; Now's the time to see good football*; For the Sharks are here!

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Currently playing: Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism & Swing States 2012

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Let's not get carried away... The only one carrying the can is Butler the assistant ref as per this article.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nrl-officials-sanctioned-over-handling-of-sia-soliola-hit-on-billy-slater-20170725-gxijhe.html

Queensland Cup for who knows how long. Since one of the most damning shots of the incident came from his ref cam, it's probably fair.

It's a case of "should have seen it, should have said something"... Same for Sutton although the punishment is even lighter.

How the other two escape any form of sanction is a mystery to me. Not to mention that actually, 2 refs assisted by 2 linesmen and two bunker boys failed to make the correct decision and officially only two of them are punished for it.

"S**t happens" as the saying goes. Let's "forget" about it while hoping it never happens again... And if it does, that the proper course of action will be taken.

Up, up Cronulla; The boys in the black, white and blue; Up, up Cronulla; Name of the Sharks fits you; Sharks, Sharks forever; Go out and play without fear; Now's the time to see good football*; For the Sharks are here!

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Currently playing: Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism & Swing States 2012

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43 minutes ago, Graham said:

It was Mr Cecchin who put Soliola on report.

That's probably why he got off scot-free so to speak. :D

Up, up Cronulla; The boys in the black, white and blue; Up, up Cronulla; Name of the Sharks fits you; Sharks, Sharks forever; Go out and play without fear; Now's the time to see good football*; For the Sharks are here!

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Currently playing: Gorbachev: The Fall of Communism & Swing States 2012

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