Heโs only been back for one game since his ban for dissent, but Melbourne Storm stalwart Brandon Smith could be in trouble with the judiciary again after he was put on report for a hip-drop tackle on Titans skipper Tino Faโasuamaleaui.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy used his post-match press conference to ask the Match Review Committee to ignore the current context, with Broncos star Pat Carrigan suspended for four weeks following a similar tackle on Wests Tigers star Jackson Hastings last week.
โI just hope it gets judged on the tackle (itself), not some of the hysteria that has gone on this week,โ Bellamy said.
โThatโs all we ask.
โIf you go on one last week (it looks bad) but how many has there been?
โPat Carrigan doesnโt go out on the field to break Hastingsโ legs, theyโre an accident.โ
Smith took out Faโasuamaleauiโs legs in a seemingly innocuous challenge that didnโt draw the attention of commentators until the Titans star reeled out in pain.
Smith was placed on report by referee Peter Gough after some ugly replays.
โI understand itโs wet and heโs sliding, but he throws his legs out which drops the weight on the back foot, itโs on report,โ Gough told Storm captain Jesse Bromwich at the time.
The Storm coach shared his thoughts on the controversial tackles, saying theyโre not as big an issue in the game as they seem to be at this moment in time.
โI donโt see it as a big issue of the game,โ Bellamy said.
โI understand that it can injure people, but there hasnโt been a whole heap this year I think.
โI just hope it gets judged on (the facts) and not on is being in the news a lot this week.โ
