Walsh avoids ban, NRL makes big call on Broncos captain
Scott Bailey |
Reece Walsh has avoided a ban for his headbutt, but Brisbane captain Pat Carrigan will miss their preliminary final unless he overturns a suspension for a high tackle.
Walsh was on Monday handed two separate charges by the NRL following his wild role in Brisbane’s 29-28 win over Canberra, but crucially neither of them will result in any time on the sideline.
The Broncos fullback is facing a fine of $3000 for a grade-one striking charge, after he was sin-binned for headbutting Hudson Young in Sunday’s second half.
There is also an $1800 contrary conduct fine, after he flipped the bird at Raiders fans as he left the field at GIO Stadium to go to the sin bin.
Had Walsh been handed a grade-two striking charge, as he was for headbutting Jarome Luai in State of Origin in 2023, he would have been rubbed out for the season.
But the NRL has instead opted for the lesser penalty, in line with a grade-one striking charge given to Morgan Smithies for a headbutt earlier this year.
The Broncos do, however, have a big decision to make on Carrigan.
Carrigan’s grade-two high tackle charge means he will miss the preliminary final against either Canterbury or Penrith, unless he fights it and is cleared at the judiciary.
That would be a significant roll of the dice, given the Broncos captain would be handed an extra game and be rubbed out of the grand final if he is unsuccessful.
Carrigan was sin-binned for his contact on Smithies in Sunday’s win, but insisted afterwards he felt he would have no case to answer.
“Obviously going to the sin bin is not ideal, but I thought I had a head clash with him,” Carrigan said.
The NRL’s decision to fine Walsh, after he pushed his head into Young’s after the Raiders second-rower got in his face celebrating a handover, will be a huge talking point this week.
Both men were sent to the sin bin, and Broncos coach Michael Maguire attempted to claim afterwards the confrontation was simply two players having a “conversation”.
But Raiders counterpart Ricky Stuart believed Walsh should have been sent off.
“Well, they’ve set a precedent now, you’re allowed to headbutt,” Stuart said in the post-match press conference.
“They got it 100 per cent wrong, but we shouldn’t make it about that because it was an unbelievable promotion of the game itself.”
Walsh being cleared is a massive boost for the Broncos.
The fullback’s return from a knee injury in June reinvigorated the Broncos’ faltering season, with Brisbane having won nine of 11 since then.
Nowhere was that more evident than on Sunday afternoon, with Walsh engineering Brisbane’s epic 94th-minute win over Canberra.
“He’s just such a special player,” Ben Hunt, who nailed the match-deciding field goal, said of Walsh.
“There’s a game there that you definitely thought we were no chance of coming back and winning.
“And he’s like, nah bugger that. Let me put you on me back here and go for it.
“Kicking 40-20s, setting up tries, kicking goals; he loves it.
“He’s a real student of the game. He works extremely hard at his craft. I’m just happy that he’s putting it all together.”
The mercurial fullback produced arguably the finest seven-minute stretch in finals history to get Brisbane back into the game, after they trailed 28-12 with 14 minutes to play in regulation time.
His first try to kickstart the comeback was peak Walsh, dummying and slicing through the line from 45 metres out before burning Raiders fullback Kaeo Weekes.
He set up another for Jordan Karapani moments later, before kicking a 40-20 to put Brisbane on the attack for Gehamat Shibasaki’s crucial 72nd-minute try.
The fullback was then able to kick Brisbane level, after Zac Hosking was penalised for taking Walsh’s leg out as he attempted a two-point field goal on the siren.
Hosking was on Monday charged over that contact, but can also escape with a $1000 fine.
AAP
