AAP Rugby

Bunker over-reacted in send off, sin bin: Roosters

By AAP Newswire

Apr 5, 2024

Roosters Dom Young (c) is surrounded after his tackle on Blake Taaffe. — There were plenty of flashpoints when the Bulldogs and the Roosters did battle on Friday night. -AAP Image

Trent Robinson has accused the NRL's bunker of grossly over-reacting by sending off Dom Young and sin-binning Victor Radley in the Sydney Roosters' dramatic loss to Canterbury.

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The Roosters went within a whisker of pulling off the equal-biggest comeback in NRL history on Friday night, despite finishing the 30-26 loss with just 11 men on the field.

Young was dismissed in the first half for a high shot on Blake Taaffe, before Radley was sin-binned late for an apparent hip-drop tackle on Stephen Crichton.

Both calls frustrated Robinson, who has previously accused the bunker of failing to protect his players when it comes to high shots.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson was frustrated by a number of bunker calls against Canterbury. (Darren Pateman/AAP PHOTOS)

(Dom) hit him high and it's not good for Blake. You don't want to see that," Robinson said.

"It hit him in the jaw, but it wasn't a swinging arm. It was open-handed. It was lower than shoulder height.

"If that's the standard, that's fine. But that's a new one for me. I feel like that's lower than what's been sent off before.

"It's definitely a sin bin. Blake's got concussed from that ... But we've had guys stay on the field, not even go for 10, for (worse).

"That was a bit over the top. If they come out and say, 'Rightio that's the new (level)', there'll be a lot more send-offs in our game."

Robinson was even more incensed by the Radley sin bin, which came with the Roosters battling back at 30-20.

The tackle did not appear to meet several of the indicators of a hip drop, given Connor Watson had been the one to bring ball-carrier Stephen Crichton to the ground.

"The (Radley) one was ridiculous," Robinson said.

"Connor is the one that tackles (Crichton) from behind and twists his ankle, and then (Radley) falls on that ankle.

"How they got there, to that decision, that's incredible. That was below par."

Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo agreed, arguing the call was "harsh".

"Accidents happen. And we've been on the other end of them a few times," Ciraldo said.

"So I've got sympathy for a bloke who gets sent to the sin bin for hip drops."

Beyond Young and Radley, the Roosters are guaranteed to be without Sam Walker and James Tedesco against Newcastle on Thursday after both suffered concussions.

Walker was OK in the dressing room after, but Robinson said Tedesco was "getting his memory back" at halftime.