Champion halfback Johnathan Thurston has questioned whether it will take a broken rib for the NRL to act on the continuing spate of late shots on the game’s playmakers.
The North Queensland captain was again laid out in attack by an opposition forward for the second week in a row in Thursday’s breakthrough victory over Manly.
One week after getting belted by Melbourne forward Sam Kasiano that resulted in a one-week ban, Thurston was whacked by Jack Gosiewski long after passing the ball in the first half at Lottoland.
“It s***ts me. It’s not part of our team, not how we go about our business. But it’s been put on report, so I’m sure the match review committee will deal with it,” Thurston said.
“What’s it going to take? A broken rib and be out for three-four weeks before they really stamp down on it?”
Cowboys coach Paul Green suggested the referees should have used the sin-bin.
“They’ve spoken about using the sin bin for foul play, so it has been spoken about,” Green said.
Channel Nine commentator Andrew Johns has long been a vocal critic of the shot, and again called for longer punishments to deter defenders from laying out the game’s playmakers.
He believes opposition teams commit the offence not only to discourage players from taking on the line, but also to wipe them out for the next play.
“Players don’t deserve to be dog shot in the back when they’re not looking,” Johns said.
“I’ve been harping on it for a long time but someone’s going to hurt their neck, break their back, or hurt their kidneys, and we’ll react then.
“There’s got to be some long suspensions, and then they’ll stop.”
Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett conceded Gosiewski, who finished the match with a suspected broken arm, is likely to draw a charge from the match review committee on Friday.
“It was a little bit late but it’s not going to matter because he’ll be out for a few months anyway with whatever he’s done. But yeah, it was a little bit late,” Barrett said.
Thurston overcame the incident to spearhead the Cowboys to a sorely-needed win, playing a hand in three of their four tries to snap a three-game losing streak.
Star forward Jason Taumalolo was just as immense, racking up 268 metres, 12 tackle busts and a try in a monstrous performance.
Coach Paul Green hailed the effort In a week where the Cowboys lost three players to Origin, failed to overturn a shoulder charge from Matt Scott at the judiciary, and lost Scott Bolton to injury.
“That was I reckon in my time at the Cowboys, that’s probably (one of), if not the best, wins we’ve ever had… Given how our season’s gone so far, it was an enormous win for us,” he said.
