Smith accepts NRL ban
FOR the first time in almost a decade, Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith will be forced to watch from the sidelines this weekend because of suspension.
Smith has been rubbed out of Saturday’s NRL clash with Manly after pleading guilty to a wishbone tackle on Kevin Proctor.
Smith yesterday accepted the one-match ban for a gradetwo dangerous contact charge for pulling former teammate Proctor’s leg during Saturday’s win over the Gold Coast.
During his record-breaking 368-game NRL career, Smith has regularly been accused of being a dirty player – though his rap sheet suggests otherwise.
The last time the Queensland and Australian skipper copped a suspension was 2008 when he missed the preliminary against Cronulla and 40-0 grand final defeat to Manly. His only other ban was for a dangerous throw in 2003.
Some experts including eighth Immortal Andrew Johns and commentator Phil Gould believe Smith is lucky not to be facing a longer ban.
Smith was adamant after the match there was no malice.
Brandon Smith will likely wear the No.9 jersey against the Sea Eagles on Saturday. Jacob Grams looks at the key stats from the Northern Pride’s win over Redcliffe. THE GOOD The Dolphins targeted the Pride up the middle and, as a result, Ryan Ghietti got a lot of traffic his way, making 43 tackles. The most impressive thing was his 95 per cent tackling efficiency as he lasted the full 80 minutes seemingly with ease. That’s the completion rate the Pride need to win games (and they almost let this one go). It would have been hard to keep up the one error in the opening 20 minutes rate. THE BAD The number of points conceded in the Pride’s last two games. After setting the benchmark in defence to start the season, they’ve let it slip in recent rounds. Conceding three tries in nine minutes on Saturday is a worrying sign.
6A few holes have opened up in the past few weeks. Six linebreaks is a big number. THE UGLY The number of missed tackles was probably the most glaring negative statistic, but in saying that, they forced even more from Redcliffe. It’s all a bit surprising considering they are the two best defenders in the league.