Melbourne enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona has copped an enormous suspension for the high shot on Rooster Lindsay Collins that saw him sin-binned in the opening seconds of the Storm’s preliminary final win.
The Storm will head into the grand final against either reigning champions Penrith or Cronulla without their forward leader after he was put on report for knocking Collins out with an alleged high tackle off the kick-off.
The hit was deemed a grade-three careless high tackle by the judiciary, with Asofa-Solomona’s poor disciplinary record ensuring a third and subsequent offence brings with it a minimum four-game suspension – ruling him out of not only the grand final, but the first three games of 2024 or Nee Zealand’s Pacific Championships campaign.
If he fights the case and is unsuccessful, the suspension will extend to five matches and go beyond New Zealand’s Pacific Championships campaign and into next season.
Given the stakes, it seems all but certain the Storm will appeal the verdict in a last-ditch bid to have the 28-year-old available for the decider.
“You’d hate to see him miss a big game,” coach Craig Bellamy said in his post-match media conference.
“I didn’t think it was a sin bin. Penalty, I thought it was fair enough, but that’s just me.
“I’ve seen it live and seen one replay, and that was my impression … I didn’t think there was a whole lot in it.”
Retiring Roosters sparring partner Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, no stranger to suspensions himself, declared his hope for his ‘Kiwi brother’ Asofa-Solomona to escape suspension for the decider.
“I really hope it doesn’t cost Nelson a grand final. I hope not – I truly do,” he said.
“It’s why we play. It’s such a physical game. They are small margins we talk about.
“There was a lot of talk and speculation on both us guys, and who was going to dominate the middle.
“I thought he played really well. I could feel him going after the game. I really hope he gets to go out there next week and do the same thing.”
Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary took a similar stance, but said defenders across the board needed to do more to protect ball carriers on kick off returns.
The issue remains a key talking point for the game, amid questions on whether kick offs will exist long into the future based on player safety.
“We said in there, we don’t want to see him miss a grand final,” Keary said.
“With those kick offs you’re running like that, the onus is on the defender to not hit this one guy running at full pace (in the head).
“We don’t want to see (the kick off) banned because it is this gladiatorial sport.
“There is one guy running, he’s not moving (sideways). You just cannot hit him in the head.
“They’re not ducking at the last second, this isn’t like a fullback stepping. We’ve seen it on our end too, we’ve had blokes hit people high. It’s got to be on the defender.”
While Melbourne’s injured trio have already declared their fitness for the NRL grand final, Bellamy said superstars Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes almost didn’t play in the second half of their win over the Sydney Roosters.
The Storm thumped the Roosters 48-18 in their preliminary final at AAMI Park on Friday night with skipper Grant and halfback Hughes, who scored a hat-trick of tries, among the heroes.
But the pair, along with goal-kicking centre Nick Meaney, struggled to finish the match.
A neck injury flared for Hughes while Grant suffered a calf issue early in the match and then Meaney suffered a knee knock.
Hughes and Meaney departed in the final five minutes of the match while Grant played the full 80 but the trio looked ginger post-match, with ice and strapping on the injuries.
Bellamy praised the resilience of his players to dig deep when the side needed them to play on, with the grand final berth on the line.
“It just goes to show, we all know what good players they are, talented players they are, but they’re tough bastards,” said the master coach, into his 10th NRL grand final.
“To be able to play out the second half like they did, it just goes to show that they’ve got a great care for what the team needs and they’re willing to put themselves on the line for that.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
“We had a decent lead at halftime, but it was way too early to pack the tent up and think we were home, so I just said to them (Grant and Hughes), if you can go out and play another 15, 20 minutes and see how it goes we might replace you.
“But then Nick got hurt and we weren’t quite sure how bad he was.”
Grant described his injury as minor and said it didn’t hinder his game, with four try assists and 31 tackles backing up his claim.
“I got a little knock in my calf and then it was a bit tight,” the 26-year-old said,
“We’ve got a longer turnaround so I will just be smart with how I manage it tonight and over the next couple of days but it’ll be good.”
with AAP
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