Roosters suffer blow

BRISBANE: The Roosters must reach the grand final for Sam Verrills to play again this season after the hooker was handed a two-match ban at the National Rugby League (NRL) judiciary.
In a bid to face the Sea Eagles in tonight’s semifinal, the 22-year-old sought to have a grade-two careless high tackle on Titans centre Brian Kelly downgraded.
But the decision to opt against accepting a one-game ban by taking the early guilty plea backfired with the panel of Ben Creagh, Bob Lindner and Dallas Johnson upholding the original charge on Tuesday night.
Verrills was penalised in the first half of the Roosters’ 25-24 victory over Gold Coast on Saturday after his shoulder struck Kelly’s head.
Representing Verrills, lawyer James McLeod argued the dummy-half “did very little wrong”.
He outlined what he described as mitigating factors including the involvement of Roosters second-rower Sitili Tupouniua, who made the first contact on Kelly.
“There was never any launch of the right shoulder of player Verrills,” McLeod said.
“All he does is hold his position and stand upright and execute a catching and wrapping motion.
“That’s part of the reason that his culpability is right at the low end of the spectrum.”
McLeod claimed Tupouniua’s initial hit shifted Kelly “probably about 20 or 30 centimetres” and into the path of Verrills’s shoulder.
“(Verrills) is entitled to set himself before the contact with Tupouniua and Kelly a split-second before,” he said.
“He doesn’t have time to adjust after the contact between Tupouniua and Kelly.”
He asked the panel to “tap into your experience with defence and making tackles” when reviewing the incident.
However, NRL prosecutor Peter McGrath submitted that Tupouniua did not cause a drop in Kelly’s head height or alter his running line.
“There is very little in the way of mitigating features that would reduce the seriousness of the tackle,” McGrath said.
“It’s above the grade-one level, it sits comfortably in the grade-two.”
While McGrath conceded the “moderate force” was chiefly caused by Kelly’s running speed, he suggested that Verrills needed to take that into account when going into contact as per his duty of care.
Losing the clever dummy-half is an undoubted setback for the battered Roosters. – NRL

Robinson puts faith in reserve to fill Verrills’ shoes

BRISBANE: Ben Marschke will go from an out-of-contract reserve-grade hooker to semifinals starter after Trent Robinson placed his faith in the rookie to take on Manly.
Robinson admitted yesterday that regular hooker Sam Verrills was “extremely flat” after being handed a two-game ban at the National Rugby League (NRL) judiciary, with the Roosters still shocked by the outcome.
But the Roosters coach has no hesitations in turning to Marschke, who has played just 12 NRL games and spent only 48 minutes on the park since June.
It completes a remarkable journey for Marshke, who only returned to the Roosters feeder-club North Sydney last summer to play with his old under-20s teammates.
But he will now be a key member of the Roosters’ spine, with Robinson making the 24-year-old his immediate back-up choice once Verrills was charged.
“Having him back at North Sydney and watching him play and then the tenacity with which he plays, it’s been a quite an easy choice to get him in there,” Robinson said. – AAP
“And then just the way that he attacked the games, the way that he decided to go after the games when he got his opportunity. – AAP

Taupau on a date with destiny

BRISBANE: After a rollercoaster career of highs and lows, milestone man Marty Taupau believes tomorrow’s National Rugby League semifinal with the Sydney Roosters also looms as his date with destiny.
Eleven years after debuting as a rakey forward under Des Hasler at Canterbury, the transformed Manly enforcer is chasing an elusive first finals win for the veteran coach who he didn’t always see eye to eye with.
The 31-year-old only managed 21 first-grade games in three seasons for the Bulldogs before departing for the neighbouring Wests Tigers. Overlooked for Canterbury’s finals charge to the 2012 title decider despite winning all six games he played in the lead up to the playoffs, Taupau had little joy at the Tigers either.
Yet at international level Taupau’s Test career took off during his lean run at Campbelltown and Concord, representing New Zealand 24 times and winning the 2014 Four Nations title with the Kiwis.
He was also a member of the World All Stars’ triumphant team in 2016.
– Seven News

Hasler backs defence to stand against Chooks

BRISBANE: Des Hasler has declared Manly’s defence can stand up to the pressure of finals football as they prepare for their biggest game in eight years.
A week after being flogged 40-12 by Melbourne, the Sea Eagles’ defence remains the biggest talking point headed into Friday night’s semifinal against the Sydney Roosters.
Manly have not advanced out of the second week of the finals since the 2013 grand final loss to the Roosters, stumbling in the semifinals twice.
While this year marks their best shot at adding to their nine premierships, they know they must be far better than they were against Melbourne.
Last week’s avalanche of points was Manly’s worst defensive outing since the opening month, when the Roosters, South Sydney and Penrith all ran riot against them.
But Hasler insisted yesterday that the defensive frailties exposed by the Storm was a one-off, and not his side falling back into old habits. “Definitely (different). The two are totally unrelated,” Hasler said.
“We treat last week as a one-off.”
Hasler dismissed any suggestions his team’s poor record against top sides could be a psychological issue.
Manly are yet to beat Melbourne, Penrith or the Roosters this year, and hold a 3-9 record against the remaining finalists since the competition returned with the set restart rule last year.
“That is the last thing (on our mind),” Hasler said.
“I don’t think we’re worrying about that. That doesn’t come to mind at all.”
Hasler has, however, reason to believe his defence can be tightened.
Lachlan Croker has been cleared to return at hooker after a minor back complaint kept him out last week, with Hasler praising his defence in the middle. He is also adamant that they were as much to blame for the failure to get Tom Trbojevic involved last week.
– Seven News