Dylan Napa was let down by the match review committee previously and that’s why he’s now in hot water over an ugly tackle that could rub him out of NRL finals action, according to Andrew Johns.
Sydney Roosters prop Napa was sweating on the MRC charge sheet on Sunday after being sin-binned and put on report for a shot that resulted in a sickening head clash with Brisbane’s Andrew McCullough on Saturday night.
The 25-year-old’s technique will come under close scrutiny after a very similar incident earlier in the year in which he broke Broncos prop Korbin Sims’ jaw but escaped a charge.
Napa charged into the tackle head-first and connected with his opponent’s face in both incidents, however Johns believes the MRC could have prevented the second tackle.
“He got off with a similar tackle on Korbin Sims (in round 11) and the match review committee said he had no case to answer,” Johns said on the Nine Network’s Sunday Footy Show.
“So he’s been let down by the match review committee because I have no doubt if he got suspended then he goes away and changes his technique.”
Johns, who works as a consultant at the Roosters, said there was a flaw in Napa’s technique.
“If someone puts footwork late on Dylan, he just launches and he loses all sight of the target. But for me, they’ve set a precedent that they haven’t charged him in round 11,” he said.
“For me, they can’t charge him for that.”
The early diagnosis for McCullough, who was taken off in a medicab, was that he had suffered a concussion and facial laceration though it’s believed he had no fractures.
In May, Broncos coach Wayne Bennett accused Napa of showboating and failing in his duty of care over the Sims tackle before hitting out at the NRL for their failure to act.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg later said that he believed Napa should have been charged.
Bennett was reluctant to comment again on Saturday night.
“I had a lot to say about it last time, it’s now up to the NRL. It’s got nothing to do with me,” Bennett said.
“I stood up for my player then. I made my feelings known to everybody. It’s up to the NRL to do what they’ve got to do.
Asked if the NRL could have forced Napa to change his technique after the Sims incident, Bennett said: “Don’t take me down that path.”
Napa’s poor disciplinary history could now come back to bite him – in round 10 he pleaded guilty to charges of careless high tackle and dangerous contact and has 75 carryover points.
“The first thing is it’s not good to see Andrew in that way …. if that was (Roosters skipper Jake Friend) I wouldn’t like to see him that way,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
“But I also support Naps in the way that he plays the game. People enjoy the physicality that he plays with and I guess that’s where the discussion will lie over the next couple of days.”
