The Broncos might be forced to play the NRL grand final without forward Xavier Willison after he was placed on report on Sunday for a tackle that Andrew Johns described as “horrible”. The Broncos stunned the Panthers 16-14 to end Penrith’s run of four-straight premierships, coming back from 14-0 down to win.
Michael Maguire’s side will take on the Melbourne Storm next Sunday night in the decider. The Broncos will get State of Origin forward Patrick Carrigan back after a one-game suspension, but they might lose Willison in return.
Nathan Cleary (L) could be in hot water, while Xavier Willison (far right) is facing a possible ban from the NRL grand final. Image: Getty/AAP
The bench forward hit Luke Garner with a classic cannon-ball tackle in the first half, diving at the Panthers player’s legs as the third man in. Johns, who has been on a crusade this year for the NRL to eradicate third-man-in tackles completely, described it as a “horrible tackle” in commentary for Channel 9.
Coen Hess, Karl Lawton and Felise Kaufusi have all received multi-week bans for cannon-ball tackles this year, but all of those caused significant injuries. Willison might be saved by the fact Garner didn’t appear overly hurt.
Andrew Johns described Xavier Willison’s tackle as ‘horrible’. Image: Channel 9
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Last week, Panthers player Brad Schneider escaped with a $1000 fine for a similar tackle against the Bulldogs. Speaking after the Schneider incident, Johns said: “I hate this tackle. They need to get that tackle out of the game. If there’s two men in the tackle, you should not be allowed to have a third man come in and dive at the knees.
“That’s horrible. There’s got to be severe punishment. If you have two players in the tackle and the momentum is stopped, you should not allow another player to come in. I don’t care if they hit above the knees or above the waist. It’s outright dangerous.”
Schneider’s tackle was graded as grade-one dangerous contact. If Willison cops the same grading he’ll likely avoid a ban and be free to play the grand final.
A suspension would be a huge blow for the Broncos. Willison was immense in 41 minutes off the bench on Sunday, scoring a try and running for 151 metres from 18 carries.
Nathan Cleary could face scrutiny for apparent ‘punch’
Meanwhile, Nathan Cleary is also likely to receive some sort of sanction after he appeared to get away with a punch to the face of Ezra Mam. Cleary took offence to a slightly late hit from Man while he was kicking the ball, and hit Mam in the face with a closed fist.
It wasn’t a traditional ‘punch’ and there wasn’t much force, but Cleary was lucky not to be sin-binned. the NRL has completely outlawed punching in the last decade, and it normally results in an automatic sin-bin. Cleary is unlikely to be banned, but any suspension he might receive would have ramifications for the Kangaroos and the end-of-season Ashes tour.
Nathan Cleary appeared to hit Ezra Mam in the face with a closed fist. Image: Channel 9
Panthers teammate Liam Martin is also likely to attract scrutiny from the match review committee after he came flying in after the fact and appeared to strike Mam in the head. Martin was also lucky not to be binned, and the forward has already stated he won’t be available for the Ashes because his wife is due to give birth.