{"id":658444,"date":"2026-05-08T20:52:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T20:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/658444\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T20:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T20:52:26","slug":"if-this-is-play-on-then-the-nrl-need-their-heads-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/658444\/","title":{"rendered":"If this is play on, then the NRL need their heads read"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 9, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n

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Bloody hell. Does the NRL have rocks in its head?<\/p>\n

I refer to the head-to-head \u201ctackle\u201d by Victor Radley on Pat Carrigan last Saturday<\/a>. Radley, owner of a long and troubled past when it comes to dangerous tackles, launched himself like an Exocet missile at the Broncos skipper, head foremost. The top of Radley\u2019s head connected flush with Carrigan\u2019s jaw, and he went down like a sack of spuds.<\/p>\n

\"VictorVictor Radley\u2019s tackle on Pat Carrigan.Fox Sports<\/p>\n

Watching the slo-mo replay, Fox Sports commentator Warren Smith was struck dumb: \u201cHere\u2019s the tackle here, Victor Radley on Pat Carrigan … well that\u2019s … that\u2019s … well, it\u2019s irrelevant now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that because \u2013 unbelievably \u2013 Radley had only been put on report for his trouble. But surely, having had a look at it, the bunker would step in? Nuh. As you were. Carry on camping. And so they did. The NRL Match Review Committee, then, the body that assesses on-field incidents after games and decides whether players should be charged or referred to the judiciary?<\/p>\n

They had no problem either.<\/a> (One presumes Radley had already taken up a fair bit of their time that day, as he\u2019d already been put on report three times during the match for other incidents.)<\/p>\n

The person most surprised at the lack of action was Radley himself, asking, when told during a Fox Sports panel show that he was free to go: \u201cReally? Is this April Fools? I thought for sure something was coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VictorVictor Radley celebrates the win over the Broncos with Sam Walker.NRL<\/p>\n

Ah, how they all laughed.<\/p>\n

Radley thought, as I thought, as we all thought, that in the new age of concussion awareness, the protocols had changed, and if you made dangerous high contact with an opponent, then \u2013 pretty much no questions asked \u2013 you were in deep shit. And this was about as dangerous as it got, from a player with a long history of playing dangerously.<\/p>\n

And the NRL cannot escape responsibility. Somehow, in this instance, we are told that head-on-head contact \u2013 direct, forceful, avoidable \u2013 did not meet their threshold for meaningful sanction<\/a>. One is left to wonder: if a head-to-head-high tackle doesn\u2019t mean instant send-off and suspension, what exactly does it take? And …<\/p>\n

\u2026 And STOP PRESS! Nine minutes into Friday night\u2019s game against the Titans<\/a>, Radley was again placed on report. What for? High contact. Umm, does anyone else see a pattern emerging?<\/p>\n

Around the world, contact sports are being forced to reckon with what they knew, when they knew it, and what they did about it. The science on brain trauma is no longer emerging \u2013 it is established. If governing bodies fail to act decisively in the face of repeated, preventable head contact, they are not merely negligent; they are exposed.<\/p>\n

I do not suggest Radley is malicious. But in my view he is reckless \u2013 and perilously close to being celebrated for that recklessness.<\/p>\n

Cue James Tedesco, Roosters captain: \u201cThe way Victor plays, with his aggression and intensity, he\u2019ll always tread that fine line, but if we\u2019re going to nitpick every tackle where the head is involved, there will be a lot of incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Victor<\/a><\/p>\n

Nup. When he continues to play like that without sanction, he risks causing a lot of brain injury, including his own.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s very bloody simple. If a player can\u2019t adjust his tackling technique, cannot stay within the parameters designed to protect both other players and himself, then the game must step in where the player will not.<\/p>\n

Because if things don\u2019t change \u2013 if the NRL continues to shrug at tackles like that \u2013 then the day will come when it won\u2019t be a referee or a match review committee, or even me, passing judgment.<\/p>\n

It will be a court.<\/p>\n

Dylan display was pure poetry<\/p>\n

For once, just for once, can I be the exemplar of a journalistic species I usually sneer unpleasantly at? Stay with me for the new few pars, as I turn into a Fan With A Typewriter . . .<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking Dylan Pietsch\u2019s performance on the wing for the Western Force against the NSW Waratahs last Friday evening<\/a>! It wasn\u2019t just good. It wasn\u2019t just great. It wasn\u2019t just Man of the Match material. It was nothing short of staggering.<\/p>\n

\"DylanDylan Pietsch turned in a memorable performance in the Force\u2019s win over the Waratahs last weekend.Getty Images<\/p>\n

I kid you not, he was everywhere at once! He ran like a bull bitten by a bumblebee \u2013 all horns, elbows and knees. He tackled as if every Waratah ball-carrier had personally insulted his mother. And he consistently leapt for the high ball like a salmon in the high jump at the Fish Olympics.<\/p>\n

Who knew he could play like that? After watching him against the Lions last year, I thought he was good, and sometimes great. But this was at another level. One moment this former junior player for the mighty Leeton Phantoms was pinned on the touchline with nowhere to go but into the welcoming embrace of half-a-dozen defenders; next moment he\u2019s burst his bonds, indeed like a bull bursting through a rotten wooden fence, leaving grasping hands clutching nothing but the wisps of winds in his wake.<\/p>\n

What marked Pietsch out was his physicality, the malicious mongrel in him as he hit the wilting Waratahs line, his sheer, unrelenting refusal to be stopped. The stats tell some of the story, but not all. While his opponent Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii touched the ball just three times in the entire match for a gain of \u2013 no, really \u2013 seven metres, Pietsch scored two tries, made three line-breaks, six tackle busts and had 19 carries for 106 metres.<\/p>\n

\"PietschPietsch was ferocious in defence.Getty Images<\/p>\n

Oh, and three times \u2013 count them, THREE times \u2013 he hurled himself into collisions he had no earthly right to win, and emerged with ball in hand and defenders strewn about him like fallen idols. On the other wing for the Force, the new lad Zac Lomax, did alright with ten carries for 50.2 metres, made one line break, and made five tackles.<\/p>\n

Am I done yet? No, I am not. If this is my day to be a FWT, let me make the most of it. This was a bloke who went looking for work, who clearly loved every single moment of being out there, who never stopped smiling the entire time, whose sheer presence on the field was nothing short of mesmerising. It\u2019s not quite that he beat the Waratahs 20-17 on his own, but it was like he was Man of the Minute, every minute, and his team-mates were clearly inspired by him.<\/p>\n

If rugby is sporting theatre – and on a good day, there is none better \u2013 then let the record show that Pietsch delivered a command performance. With him on one Wallaby wing for next year\u2019s World Cup, and Max Jorgensen on the other, we will have two world-class operators who are simply fantastic to watch. What\u2019s needed is a game plan to get them the ball often.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Clint<\/a>Joke\u2019s on laughing Dragons<\/p>\n

I knew I\u2019d get heaps of flak, and I didn\u2019t. After opining a fortnight ago that the Dragons are a \u201cteam without a soul\u201d<\/a>, I was fairly sure that my weekend would be filled with ignoring angry tweets and emails. Instead, not a single one.<\/p>\n

Rather, I received heaps of agreement, including from Dragons fans \u2013 most particularly after they lost to the Roosters by 62-16<\/a>, with most of their back line turning into human turnstiles as their opponents ran through.<\/p>\n

The most instructive thing for me at the end of the game was watching closely their highest-paid player, Valentine Holmes. Not a worry in the world. Laughing and joking with his opponents, like he\u2019d just won Lotto.<\/p>\n

Mate, you\u2019ve just copped 60 points in the mush, you\u2019ve lost 11 matches in a row, and your last win was in AUGUST. I have mates who still grieve Wallaby Test losses from 37 years ago. You, clearly, couldn\u2019t care less. When the Dragons rebuild their roster, their starting point has to be: pick blokes who give a shit.<\/p>\n

What They Said<\/p>\n

An image published on a fans\u2019 Facebook group showed a whiteboard in the Brisbane Lions dressing room listing the strengths and weaknesses of their Essendon opponents. Under \u201cstrengths\u201d, one word was listed next to the name of Jaxon Prior: \u201cBronte\u201d. That is the first name of his partner, Bronte Thompson, a model.<\/p>\n

Essendon coach Brad Scott on the Brisbane Lions whiteboard breaking down their players: \u201cWe prefer a little detail, maybe better handwriting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lions coach Chris Fagan: \u201cI\u2019m not going to comment about what was written on that whiteboard. From our perspective, it\u2019s private information. Somebody illegally took photos of information that was on a whiteboard and decided to make a hero of themselves and put it out in the public domain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Saudi<\/a><\/p>\n

Cameron Smith on what assurances he had been given about the future of LIV Golf <\/a>after this year: \u201cEvery assurance. Absolutely. That\u2019s the goal, 100 per cent.\u201d You tell him. I can\u2019t with a straight face.<\/p>\n

Smith: \u201cEarly in my career, I hung my hat on how I performed in the majors. And it\u2019s just not good enough. I am making a few changes and trying to get back to where I was and better. I can promise you, the fire is in the belly, it\u2019s just a matter of time. I don\u2019t think time is running out on my major career by any means.\u201d Has any golfer, ever, had his game collapse so totally \u2013 from world No.2, to somewhere lost and bleeding behind Uluru \u2013 all in the space of three or four years?<\/p>\n

A piece in The Athletic, on what it\u2019s like to be a fan of the New York Jets, who have a 30 per cent winning record since 2016, quoted a five-year-old girl telling her father the difference between baseball and football: \u201cBaseball is the one where they hit the ball with the bat and run around bases. And football is the one where you stare at the TV and yell, \u2018F—!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Waratahs coach Dan McKellar on what is fast becoming yet another forgettable season: \u201cThe gap between our best and not our best is too big at the moment and that\u2019s where we get inconsistencies in and around performance. It\u2019s frustrating, we\u2019ve got to have a look at what we\u2019re doing.\u201d This is not working. Get Cheika, and tell him all is forgiven.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Soccer<\/a><\/p>\n

West Tigers coach Benji Marshall on the thumping loss to the Sharks<\/a>: \u201cToday was, I don\u2019t know what team was out there, but that wasn\u2019t the team that we\u2019ve played like and prepared like, it was actually the opposite. That wasn\u2019t there before, so we just have got to get back to playing the footy that works for us on both sides of the ball and defensively, that\u2019s the most disappointing thing because that\u2019s not us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, Melbourne Demons coach Steven King after their close loss to the Swans thinks they can match it with the best: \u201cIt\u2019s us just trying to chase the best version of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan Reynolds, co-owner of Wrexham, after they just missed out on the English Premier League promotion playoffs: \u201cI am completely gutted by today\u2019s result but incredibly proud of our season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victor Radley told on TV that he wouldn\u2019t have to go the judiciary: \u201cI was going to keep this suit for judiciary, but I don\u2019t need it any more. I might keep it for the races.\u201d [See rant.]<\/p>\n

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan will allow Socceroos World Cup matches to be shown at Federation Square after all:<\/a> \u201cThere\u2019s always a risk of bad behaviour from a few dickheads at every public gathering, but police and security will be on-site. There\u2019ll be zero tolerance for it. The World Cup should bring us together, not keep us apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AustralianAustralian pair Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt celebrate winning curling\u2019s world mixed doubles championship.World CurlingTeam of the week<\/p>\n

Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt. The Australian curlers put the devastation of missing the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics behind them by winning the world championships!<\/p>\n

Travis Bazzana. The Australian baseball star got his first hit in the MLB.<\/p>\n

Montreal. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of their Olympics and about the 20th anniversary of finally paying it off!<\/p>\n

Dylan Pietsch. Wow. Just wow. [See paean.]<\/p>\n

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"PeterPeter FitzSimons<\/a> is a journalist and columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"May 9, 2026 \u2014 5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":658445,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-658444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/658445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}