Napa in strife on head-up tackle
ROOSTERS firebrand Dylan Napa faces the prospect of being rubbed out of the finals series after being sin-binned for the second time this season against the Broncos for leading with his head while defending.
Napa came charging off his defensive line and collected Maroons teammate Andrew McCullough in the head during the Broncos shock 22-8 win in front of 13,263 people at Allianz Stadium.
It mirrored an incident earlier this year where Napa was sin-binned when his head broke the jaw of Brisbane’s Korbin Sims. Sims missed three games because of the injury when the Broncos beat the Roosters 28-22 in May.
Napa was not charged by the match review committee which drew criticism from Broncos boss Wayne Bennett while NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg also said Napa should have been charged.
McCullough suffered a heavy concussion and severe lacerations of the mouth.
Any charge will be costly for Napa who has already been suspended twice this year. The 25-year-old has a lengthy judiciary record with seven char- ges since 2014 – all grade one offences.
Referee Gerard Sutton told Roosters co-skipper Jake Friend that “the onus is on (Napa) not to make any careless contact with the head.”
With Friend questioning: “Even with his own head?”.
Former internationals Mal Meninga and Greg Alexander both labelled the tackle “dangerous”.
Alexander said there was little doubt Napa should be suspended.
“Absolutely it’s a technique problem,” Alexander said on Fox League. “Dylan Napa loves to tackle with his left shoulder and he will always favour that.
“But for him to have his head ducked and launching himself head-first at a player with the footy, that’s dangerous.
“They gave him the benefit of the doubt in that one on Korbin Sims and it did break his jaw. And after seeing that one again on Andrew McCullough and Korbin Sims, he’s got to be suspended.”
The Broncos’ victory – their second against a top four side in as many weeks – cements their top eight spot and ends the Wests Tigers slim hopes of a finals charge.