Bryce not quite right for Arthur’s Eels

Parramatta has suffered a late blow ahead of today’s clash against Wests Tigers, with inform back rower Bryce Cartwright officially ruled out.

Cartwright suffered a rib injury against Manly and was initially set to miss up to a month of football.

Brad Arthur named Cartwright in the hope the forward could manage the injury but the coach confirmed on Sunday that the back rower had been unable to train.

“We were hopeful. We gave him every opportunity to play but he’s not right to play,” Arthur said.

“I feel like Carty has earned the right to ... he asked me early in the week to give him every opportunity to play and he’s playing nice and tough now and he has earned the right for that to happen.

“We made the decision on Friday, he wasn’t able to be part of the contact side of it. We have plenty of forwards there that can do that job.”

But in positive news for the Eels, Arthur didn’t expect Cartwright to be out long term.

“So we’ll see where he is at next week. We’ll just take it one week at a time with him,” Arthur said.

Arthur confirmed new recruit Kelma Tuilagi would

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start on the right edge as Cartwright’s replacement.

“Kelma will get his opportunity to come on and start himself as a starting backrower so it’s up to him now,” Arthur said.

“He’s done a really good job for us coming off the bench, which is different to starting. But he’ll get a chance there.”

Rising playmaker Blaize Talagi will wear the No.6 jumper, with Dylan Brown moving into halfback, after Mitchell Moses was ruled out for up to 10 matches with a broken foot.

Arthur backed the teenager Talagi’s toughness ahead of the Tigers clash.

“Blaize gets an opportunity ahead of when we thought he might in the halves,” Arthur said.

“He typifies what I want this team to be, tough.

“I’m thinking the more time he gets in the number six jersey, the better he’ll get.”

Dolphins lock Max Plath is facing up to three matches on the sideline after being charged by the NRL match review committee for a grade three hip-drop tackle on Gold Coast’s Phillip Sami.

The 22-year-old can take an early guilty plea and miss just two matches, against the Tigers and the Broncos, but faces a three-game ban if he fights the charge and loses at the judiciary.

Plath’s charge comes as confusion reigns in the NRL over exactly what constitutes a charge for a hip-drop tackle.

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon voiced his concerns after losing Toby Rudolf for up to six weeks from a John Bateman tackle that failed to raise the ire of the match review committee.

Eyebrows were again raised on Good Friday when South Sydney’s Jack Wighton appeared to tick the hip-drop boxes in a tackle on Canterbury’s Jacob Preston, who was surging towards the tryline, but the hit was cleared, despite protestations from Bulldogs skipper Stephen Crichton at the time.

Dragons prop Blake Lawrie has avoided a suspension but has been fined $1800 for a grade one contrary conduct charge after he was done for a hair pull on Manly’s Josh Aloiai.