‘I absolutely hate it': Karl Lawton cops ban for tackle that injured Siua Wong, Eels duo in hot water for dangerous throws
Cowboys hooker Karl Lawton is one of three players facing multi-week suspensions after he was charged for a tackle that will likely sideline Roosters young gun Siua Wong for at least a month and left Immortal Andrew Johns incensed.
Lawton was hit with a grade 3 dangerous contact charge for the first-half incident that forced Wong from the field with a suspected MCL injury to his left knee.
Wong was held upright by two defenders before Lawton came in and collected him directly on the knee.
'I hate that third man in, I absolutely hate it,' Johns said in commentary.
The Bunker looked at the incident but didn't advise the referee to award the Roosters a penalty, with Wong the latest player from the club to suffer an MCL injury.
Teammate Nat Butcher suffered a similar injury earlier this year as a result of foul play that wasn't penalised on the field but resulted in a two-game ban for Penrith's Mitch Kenny.
'I don't know about that one. I looked at it quickly and moved on,' Roosters coach Trent Robinson said after the game.
'We've had some MCLs this year, I think that's our fifth. We've had lots of six-week (injuries), with MCLs taking out five of them, which has been really difficult.
'That's up for someone else (to judge the penalty), but it's been a tough one for MCLs for us this year.'
Lawton will miss two games if he takes the early guilty plea but risks an extra match if he fights the charge and loses.
The Eels are also counting the cost of Sunday's win over the Titans with two players facing bans for dangerous throws.
Centre Will Penisini is looking at 3-4 weeks on the sidelines after he was hit with a grade 2 dangerous throw charge for a lifting tackle on Beau Fermor in the final few plays that led to a stint in the sin bin.
Teammate Ryley Smith can accept a two-match ban for a tackle that landed Phil Sami in an ugly position.
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Only Manly prop Tof Sipley has been given a higher grading this NRL season, referred straight to the judiciary for a hip-drop tackle that injured St George Illawarra's Mat Feagai in April. With a clean recent record, Lawton can accept a two-match ban with an early plea or risk a third game on the sidelines if he elects to fight the grading. But the significant difference in the way the tackle was viewed is likely to raise eyebrows. Roosters coach Trent Robinson refused to delve into his thoughts on Sunday saying he hadn't seen it properly. In the Nine Network's coverage, Andrew Johns was highly critical of the contact. "It's dangerous, I hate it," Johns said. "If you have two players in the tackle, and momentum is pretty much (stopped), that third man shouldn't be able to go in like that. "A couple of years ago we saw Liam Knight get hit from behind and it pretty much destroyed every ligament in his knee. "The player cannot see it coming. And what's come into the game is they back into the tackle so they can see the third man coming in and spearing at the knee. "And what's happened with that happening is we have crushers coming into the game, because of players turning and twisting looking for that third man." In better news for the Tricolours, five-eighth Sandon Smith has been cleared of any knee damage after leaving the field early in the win over the Cowboys. The Roosters have the bye this week, but Smith will be fine to face Wests Tigers in a fortnight. Elsewhere, Parramatta have copped a double blow at the judiciary with hooker Ryley Smith and centre Will Penisini both facing suspensions. Smith is set to cop a two-week ban for his dangerous throw on Phillip Sami in the win over Gold Coast, while Penisini is facing three matches out for one on Beau Fermor. Both were handed grade-two charges with Penisini sin-binned for his tackle. Penisini's extra week is due to a prior charge on his record. 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Only Manly prop Tof Sipley has been given a higher grading this NRL season, referred straight to the judiciary for a hip-drop tackle that injured St George Illawarra's Mat Feagai in April. With a clean recent record, Lawton can accept a two-match ban with an early plea or risk a third game on the sidelines if he elects to fight the grading. But the significant difference in the way the tackle was viewed is likely to raise eyebrows. Roosters coach Trent Robinson refused to delve into his thoughts on Sunday saying he hadn't seen it properly. In the Nine Network's coverage, Andrew Johns was highly critical of the contact. "It's dangerous, I hate it," Johns said. "If you have two players in the tackle, and momentum is pretty much (stopped), that third man shouldn't be able to go in like that. "A couple of years ago we saw Liam Knight get hit from behind and it pretty much destroyed every ligament in his knee. "The player cannot see it coming. And what's come into the game is they back into the tackle so they can see the third man coming in and spearing at the knee. "And what's happened with that happening is we have crushers coming into the game, because of players turning and twisting looking for that third man." In better news for the Tricolours, five-eighth Sandon Smith has been cleared of any knee damage after leaving the field early in the win over the Cowboys. The Roosters have the bye this week, but Smith will be fine to face Wests Tigers in a fortnight. Elsewhere, Parramatta have copped a double blow at the judiciary with hooker Ryley Smith and centre Will Penisini both facing suspensions. Smith is set to cop a two-week ban for his dangerous throw on Phillip Sami in the win over Gold Coast, while Penisini is facing three matches out for one on Beau Fermor. Both were handed grade-two charges with Penisini sin-binned for his tackle. Penisini's extra week is due to a prior charge on his record.
