The relative obscurity of a NRL trial in Hobart might not be enough to save Brisbane prop Petero Civoniceva from suspension for the opening round of the season.
Melbourne officials were left fuming after a high shot from the returning Bronco floored Storm backrower Ryan Hinchcliffe in the closing stages of Saturday night’s trial in the Tasmanian capital.
Hinchcliffe had to be stretchered from the field and, with a black eye to show for his troubles, was still feeling the effects as the team headed back to Melbourne on Sunday.
The Storm expect to have Hinchcliffe on deck for round one, but Civoniceva might not be as fortunate.
NRL rules stipulate that all trial matches must be video-taped by at least one camera for judiciary purposes, though footage of incidents can sometimes prove to be hit and miss with the limited coverage.
But the Storm have indicated they have their own damming footage of the incident, and the NRL match review committee has vowed to get its hands on any evidence it can.
“The match review committee can access anything, so if there is any camera angles or any footage that’s taken and we’re aware of it, then we can request that,” committee chairman Greg McCullum told AAP.
“It’s about the preparation of evidence.
“Basically in trials, if the incident occurs and we know about it, by any means we can look at it.”
McCullum admitted the lack of coverage of NRL trials presented some obstacles in charging players, but he denied it had the potential to increase the likelihood of infringements occurring.
“Obviously we can only charge blokes with what we see and the evidence we collect,” he added.
“Certainly in the time I’ve been doing it, it hasn’t meant that players have got away with things. It just makes it a bit more challenging.”
Given the Charity Shield clash was televised by Fox Sports, McCullum should have no issues assessing incidents which resulted in three South Sydney players being put on report in their clash against St George Illawarra.
Second rower Eddy Pettybourne is the most likely to have a case to answer following a high tackle that ended Chase Stanley’s night after just 10 minutes, while John Sutton (head slam) and Luke Burgess (knees in a tackle) will also come under the microscope.
Certainly the match review committee could prove more of a hindrance to round-one selections than injury concerns, particularly after Parramatta duo Jarryd Hayne and Tim Mannah were cleared of serious knee injuries.
Both are considered possible starters for the game against Brisbane on Friday week, while club doctors are still awaiting the results on scans on Ben Smith’s injured pectoral muscle.
North Queensland are also sweating on scans after Test centre Brent Tate suffered rib cartilage damage in Saturday night’s trial loss to round-one opponents Gold Coast.
Tate was taken to hospital after just four minutes of play when a Titans defender landed on him as they attempted to take a high kick.
He was cleared of a break, but it could be another frustrating spell on the sidelines for the veteran three-quarter after three knee reconstructions.
“We thought it was a hip at first, but it is ribs. We don’t know how long he’ll be out,” Cowboys coach Neil Henry told reporters.
“Thankfully it’s not his knee, so we’ll just see how he pulls up.”
Canberra coach David Furner is confident of having five-eighth Terry Campese on deck for round one after he was a late scratching for their trial win over Canterbury due to a strained muscle high in his leg.
