Latest news with #Niukore
RNZ News
29-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster speaks out against NRL sin-bin barrage
Kiwis prop Leo Thompson is sin-binned by referee Wyatt Raymond against the Warriors. Photo: Warriors v Cowboys 7.30pm Saturday, 3 May Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Live blog updates on RNZ Sport NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster has joined the chorus of protests against an apparent NRL clampdown on head-high tackles that saw 18 players sin-binned across eight games. League legend Andrew Johns reportedly stormed out of a commentary booth , after one call that backtracked several plays to single out an innocuous tackle and resulted in the guilty player spending 10 minutes on the sideline. Johns described the onslaught of citings as "absolutely farcical" and refused to contribute to the rest of the game call. The Warriors were hit in the opening seconds of their win over Newcastle Knights , when the bunker intervened retrospectively to put front-rower Marata Niukore on report for a dangerous tackle, but moments later, Kiwis prop Leo Thompson followed him to the bin, reducing the contest to 12 v 12 for eight minutes, until Niukore's return. "I just don't like how it goes back, that's all," Webster observed. "I think they got told today to change that. "If it happens two sets later and no-one even knows something's occurred, then the bunker finds it… it loses the flow of the game. "The product, compared to rugby union, we're like high 50s for minutes in play and they're roughly high 30. That's why our product is so good at the moment, but when you go back, there's confusion with the fans over what it was for. "I'm talking about the fans in the stands, because the fans at home get the replay. If the player is fine and the game unfolds, and you think it's wrong, just put them on report and then suspend them, if it's that bad." Niukore escaped suspension for his act - he was fined A$1800 (NZ$1940) and is available to face North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday. "I felt like the player just got up and moved on pretty quick," Webster reflected. "If they wanted to do something - Marata got a fine and didn't get suspended - to bring it back and put him in the bin… I'm struggling with that a bit. "In the incident, as it happens, by all means, if you're unhappy with it, put him in the bin." Eleven players were fined a total of more than A$13,000 and six players were banned 13 weeks, while Kiwis second-rower Scott Sorenson will contest his Grade 2 shoulder charge. If he can get it downgraded, he can play for Penrith Panthers at 'Magic Round' in Brisbane. If he fails, Sorenson will sit out three weeks. The culprits included 10 Kiwis or NZ-born players - Niukore, Thompson, Sorenson, Kodi Nikorima, Briton Nikora, Fonua Pole, Griffin Neame, Casey McLean, Siosiua Taukaiaho and Sitili Tupouniua. In recent seasons, the NRL has tightened up on dangerous tackles, as football codes all around the world brace for lawsuits from former players suffering brain injuries and blaming neglect by governing bodies. Founded on a 'bring back the biff' philosophy and branded as 'big hits, no pads' for an international market, rugby league must also balance that gladiatorial spectacle against the risk that parents will no longer want their kids to play the game. "You can hit hard, but you don't need to hit high," Webster insisted. "You can still have the big hits. "I'm all for protecting the player's head. We would have had four hits at training today that would have made the highlight reel on the weekend and none of them were high. "My issue is the way they're doing it and the timing of it." Notably, the Warriors have actually drawn the least high-tackle penalties in the competition with three - as well as Niukore, centre Rocco Berry was suspended a game for an offence against Melbourne Storm, while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was pinged against Manly Sea Eagles with no further punishment. Gold Coast Titans lead the way with 18 high-tackle penalties. Marata Niukore heads to the sin-bin against Newcastle Knights. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 "Slade Griffin, our defence coach, spends a lot of time on hitting below the ball," Webster said. "Don't get me wrong, we traditionally hit high to wrap the football up, if we need to, but we do everything in our power not to drive the shoulder into the player's head. "It's rugby league and sometimes you get it wrong. I think we've had a couple of slipping ones - Rocco got suspended, when he slipped on the ground, but he couldn't prove to the judiciary that he didn't hit him in the head, so he had to cop that one. "I didn't know that stat, but it's nice to hear." NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has admitted the bunker became too involved in the decision-making process, blaming a "slight overreaction" to several offences that went unpenalised earlier in the season. He did not expect to see a similar level of sin-binning this week, when all teams gather in Brisbane for one of the competition's showpiece events. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Warriors forward fined as NRL cracks down on high tackles
Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 Six players have been suspended and another 11 have recieved fines after the National Rugby League's crackdown on dangerous tackles over the weekend. Eighteen players were sin-binned during the round, 15 of them for contact with the head of the ball carrier. Warriors forward Marata Niukore was one of those fined for a careless high tackle. The back rower was sin-binned and placed on report in the first two minutes of the game. Niukore caught Knights centre Bradman Best on the chin with his shoulder forcing a penalty against the Warriors. The referee then sent Niukore to the bin. Panther's Kiwi forward Scott Sorenson will dispute the grading of his shoulder charge. Sorensen pleaded guilty to the charge but will seek to have his grade 2 charge downgraded when he appears at the judiciary Tuesday night. If successful, Sorensen will be available for the Panthers' clash with the Broncos at this weekend's Magic Round, but he will miss three games if he fails to earn the downgrade. Bulldogs forward Sitili Tupouniua was hit with the biggest suspension, he got a total of five games for a shoulder charge and dangerous contact. The Magic round at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane this weekend involves all 16 teams with the Warriors playing the Cowboys on Saturday night. The Warriors are fourth in the standings behind the Bulldogs, Storm and Raiders. Magic Round: 2,3,4 May Friday 8pm Sharks vs Eels 10:05pm Roosters vs Dolphins Saturday 5pm Rabbitohs vs Knights 7:30pm Warriors vs Cowboys 9:45pm West Tigers vs Dragons Sunday 3:50pm Titans vs Bulldogs 6:05pm Panthers vs Broncos 8:25pm Storm vs Raiders
News.com.au
25-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Bloody hard': Newcastle Knights coach on sin bin drama
Knights coach Adam O'Brien says the NRL's high shot crackdown has made the game difficult on players. There were seven sin bins across the first three matches of Anzac weekend. Two of those occurred – one for each side – in the first five minutes of Newcastle's 26-12 loss to the Warriors. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. 'I was concerned that that was going to set a tone for the whole game,' O'Brien said in his post-match press conference. The Knights mentor went onto make the point that recent rule changes have been designed to 'quicken' the game up, which in turn creates fatigue. However, O'Brien is concerned that fatigue is leading to accidents in tackles and in turn, costly sin bins. Watch the sin bins in the video player above 'I haven't been across the other games … but it's a hard game for these boys to play at the moment. 'All our rule changes are around fastening the game up and putting more fatigue in it and now we're cracking down on accidents. 'Accidents are going to happen when the game is this fast and there's that much fatigue. We've made the rule changes and it's hard for them to play at the moment.' O'Brien pointed to an incident during last weekend's loss to Cronulla. 'It happened last week with James Schiller. He was trying to stop a try at full speed and brushes a chin and gets 10 minutes,' he said. 'It's not part of the tip sheet to hit blokes in the head but as I said, the game is fast and there's a lot of fatigue. 'I understand we don't want to be hitting people in the head but getting sent to the bin all the time is bloody hard. 'Some of them are unacceptable but there are a lot of innocuous ones that are getting punished pretty hard.' The Warriors will also be sweating on a tackle from Marata Niukore that saw him sin-binned and placed on report early. In just the second minute of the clash Niukore caught Knights centre Bradman Best on the chin with his shoulder forcing a penalty against the Warriors. Referee Wyatt Raymond wasted no time in sending Niukore to the sin bin. 'It is direct contact straight to the head with moderate force from the shoulder, so he's on report and he's in the bin,' Raymond said. Steve Roach had no argument with the sin bin decision. 'You have just got to be so careful with the way the game is played now,' Roach said. 'There is not much room for error there with the tackle over the top. 'But they have set the edict now that if you tackle high and with direct contact you will go straight to the sin bin, so at least we all know the rules now.' Moments later in the fifth minute Knights prop Leo Thompson was sent to the sin bin and placed on report for a high shot on Rocco Berry. 'Here we go again,' Andrew Voss said. Both players face a nervous wait on the match review committee given the crackdown on high shots and suspensions over the last fortnight.
