Sydney Roosters prop Dylan Napa could be set miss NRL finals action after leading with his head in an ugly tackle on Broncos star Andrew McCullough.
Napa will be sweating on the match review committee’s (MRC) charge sheet on Sunday after he was sin-binned and put on report for the first-half incident in the Roosters’ 22-8 loss to Brisbane on Saturday.
The 25-year-old’s technique will now come under close scrutiny after a similar incident earlier in the year in which he broke Broncos prop Korbin Sims’ jaw.
In both incidents, Napa charged into the tackle head-first and connected with his opponent’s face.
Napa caught Queensland teammate McCullough flush on his head, forcing the Broncos dummy-half to be taken from the field on a medicab.
McCullough’s early diagnosis was that he had suffered a concussion and facial laceration though it’s believed he had not suffered skull damage.
Napa escaped being charged in round 11 however the match review committee will be under pressure to come down hard.
In May, Broncos coach Wayne Bennett accused Napa of showboating and failing in his duty of care before hitting out at the NRL for their failure to act.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg later said that he believed Napa should have been charged, sending a clear message to the MRC.
Bennett was clearly upset after watching his player being taken off on a stretcher on Saturday night.
He would not comment on the incident however made his displeasure known.
“I had a lot to say about it last time, it’s now up to the NRL. It’s got nothing to do with me,” Bennett said.
“I stood up for my player then, I made my feelings known to everybody. It’s up to the NRL to do what they’ve got to do.
Asked if the NRL could have forced Napa to change his technique after the Sims incident, Bennett said: “Don’t take me down that path.”
With one round to play, Napa risks being sidelined for part of the finals series.
The Roosters firebrand’s poor disciplinary history could now come back to bite him – in round 10 he pleaded guilty to charges of careless high tackle and dangerous contact, and any loading will increase the length of any suspension.
“I think he’s a physical player and he’s aggressive in the way he goes about it,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
“The first thing is it’s not good to see Andrew in that way …. if that was (Roosters skipper Jake Friend) I wouldn’t like to see him that way.
“But I also support Naps in the way that he plays the game. People enjoy the physicality that he plays with and I guess that’s where the discussion will lie over the next couple of days.”
