Storm: Let ‘Bambi live’
The NRL match review committee co-ordinator cleared a Melbourne Storm player two years ago for making a near-identical tackle to the one that now threatens Billy Slater’s grand final swansong.
Former Storm winger and now Wallabies flier Marika Koroibete thumped Penrith’s Dallin Watene-zelezniak into touch during a match at AAMI Park in 2016 when he steamed in with his right shoulder.
It was eerily similar to the contentious hit by Slater on Cronulla’s Sosaia Feki last Friday night that will end the champion fullback’s career unless he can have a grade-one charge overturned at the NRL judiciary tonight.
The Storm have appointed lawyer Nick Ghabar to lead the defence and he spent several hours on Sunday outlining the case with Slater.
The club is aware of the similarities between the Slater and Koroibete tackles and of the comments made by match review committee co-ordinator Michael Buettner two years ago.
Buettner declared in the aftermath of the incident featuring Koroibete and Watene-zelezniak that ‘‘it was a desperate tackle or bump on the Panthers winger’’.
‘‘You can see Koroibete making his way across at great speed. When you look at the incident no charge was applicable,’’ Buettner said at the time. ‘‘Koroibete was heading in the same general direction as Watene-zelezniak, who was approaching the try line with both players at great speed. That’s clearly different to a fronton challenge where the arm is tucked into the side of the defender with no attempt to make a conventional tackle.’’
Watene-zelezniak had to undergo scans on his shoulder after that match while Feki jumped to his feet after Slater’s 14th-minute effort last Friday.
Due to the fact that Koroibete was never charged Slater’s legal team will not be able to include the episode in 2016 as part of their defence tonight, but it has helped convince them that he would be hard done by to miss the grand final. The Storm have also studied footage of an apparent shoulder charge that Sam Kasiano performed in a trysaving tackle for Samoa in a test match against Tonga.
Slater’s mood has changed since the 22-6 triumph over Cronulla and he will be forced to wait an extra 24 hours after hopes of a Monday night hearing – as opposed to the regular Tuesday 6pm slot – were dashed.
Melbourne-based QC Chris Townshend has been recruited to help Ghabar build their case. Townshend has assisted with other hearings involving Hawthorn and Melbourne Victory.
One concern among Storm officials is the shoulder charge rules could be changed at Slater’s expense. The same thing happened to Cameron Smith, who missed the 2008 grand final because of a grapple tackle and carryover points. The following season, the points loading system was changed, where five points were deducted each game, which unofficially became known as ‘‘the Cameron rule’’.
Storm chief executive Dave Donaghy said at the weekend that if Slater was denied a proper farewell in the grand final because of the tackle, it would be like ‘‘shooting Bambi’’.