De Belin learns fate on Dragons farewell after tackle
Scott Bailey |
Jack de Belin will get to play a St George Illawarra farewell game after being cleared of committing a hip-drop tackle in the Dragons’ loss to Manly.
De Belin was placed on report during the second half of the Dragons’ 40-24 defeat, after landing on the legs of Manly prop Tof Sipley in a tackle.
A grade-two charge would have left de Belin facing a ban, denying him a 252nd and final match for the Dragons against Penrith in Wollongong on Saturday ahead of his move to Parramatta next season.
But that is no longer an issue, with the Red V veteran’s name not even appearing on the charge sheet on Sunday morning.
The news was not so good for Sipley, whose NRL career appears over after being hit with a three-game ban for a cannonball tackle in the same game.
Already bound for the English Super League next year, Sipley was handed a grade-two charge on Sunday for dangerous contact on David Klemmer.
It means the only way he will play for Manly again is if he fights to downgrade the charge and wins, or the Sea Eagles pull off a miraculous deep finals run.
Sipley’s ban shapes as another blow to the Sea Eagles’ faintest-of-faint finals hopes, with the club already short on forwards due to a litany of injury.
In order to qualify, Manly need to flog the Warriors next week and hope the Sydney Roosters are thrashed by South Sydney with a combined margin of 82 points across the two games.
Sipley’s ban could potentially pave the way for Manly coach Anthony Seibold to blood youngster Simione Laiafi, or bring Taniela Paseka back from a ruptured achilles.
Manly will already be without in-form centre Tolu Koula for the Warriors clash after he injured his knee on Saturday night.
Elsewhere, Brisbane dummy-half Cory Paix is facing a $1500 fine for a crusher tackle on Karl Lawton in the Broncos’ 38-30 win over North Queensland.
And Cowboys centre Braidon Burns has been hit with a $1000 fine for the late contact on Reece Walsh that saw him sin-binned early in the match.
AAP
