Aloiai banned for late hit on Johnson
Manly’s Josh Aloiai has copped a onematch ban for the late tackle on Shaun Johnson in the dramatic draw with the Warriors.
Aloiai entered an early guilty plea to a grade two dangerous Contact charge on Tuesday and will miss Manly's Round 7 clash against the Titans.
Cronulla winger Sione Katoa will also sit out a game against the Cowboys after admitting a grade two careless high tackle for his contact on Souths captain Cameron Murray on Saturday.
Dolpins back Anthony Milford is out for two matches after a dangerous contact offence against Broncos fullback Reece Walsh in the Brisbane derby.
It was Milford’s second offence of the season.
Thirteen NRL players were cited in the latest judiciary report with most copping fines for grade one breaches.
While there is no NRL award for it, but the Warriors are leading the NRL’s cleanskins category after the first six rounds.
Andrew Webster’s side is the only team not to have a player charged by the judiciary in the NRL proper.
Their only discipline breach in 2024 came in the first game of the pre-season when fringe forward Zyon Maiu’u copped a two-week ban for a careless high tackle against Wests Tigers in Christchurch.
But the Warriors haven’t transgressed in the competition rounds.
That’s a remarkable record in one of the most physical of sports.
Meanwhile, two Warriors, Addin FonuaBlake and Wayde Egan, were named in the NRL Team of the Week after their 16-16 golden point draw with the Sea Eagles.
The NRL report stated Fonua-Blake put in “another tireless performance’’ in his 74-minute stint. He had “changed the game when he came on late for his final stint and just about helped them to an unlikely victory. Made 47 tackles and had 146 metres from 21 runs”.
Egan, has been in red-hot form for the last few weeks, with the NRL report noting“he played every second of the 90-minute golden point thriller... and tackled himself to a standstill, with a game-high 58 to his name by full-time.
His ability to change momentum with his dummy-half reads was on full display as the Warriors stormed home to rescue a point from what had looked destined to be a loss on home soil.
Warriors frontrower Mitchell Barnett didn’t make the Team of the Week, but must have been close after 50 tackles and 164m with the ball in hand off 17 runs.
He has been tipped, alongside Egan, as a potential New South Wales State of Origin contender in 2024.
Webster said after Saturday’s win that Barnett had been “awesome’’ against the Sea Eagles.
“Him and Addin went after them. Chanel [Harris-Tavita] was awesome in his defence. Wayde played 80 again.”
Webster noted that Egan had put three strong defensive games together in a row.
If either Barnett or Egan get a NSW callup from former Kiwis coach Michael Maguire, they would be the Warriors’ first State of Origin representative since Queensland’s Jacob Lillyman in 2017.