Paul Kent: The NRL jumped the shark again when charging Reed Mahoney with contrary conduct
Telegraph Sport
The NRL returned to its favourite sport of shark jumping on Monday when Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney, for the offence of a smile and a wave, was charged with contrary conduct and will now be $1000 lighter in the pocket.
The plot has officially been lost.
Mahoney was charged for, what, exactly?
On the evidence in, he had a running battle with Jackson Hastings throughout the game and got the opportunity to go one up near the end when Hastings hit the ground after a loose pass.
Mahoney dived onto him but then Jaeman Salmon, spotting Hastings defenceless, gave the big heave-ho and drove his shoulder in to Hastings laying on the ground.
Then the game embarrassed itself in the usual manner.
Big burly men came together and shoved and pushed and jerked on collars with their chests puffed out, not a punch was thrown in anger, and when they were finally quietened down by the little man with the whistle they separated looking fairly well pleased with themselves.
How long the game continues to endure these embarrassing melees is unknown.
There appears to be no embarrassment from headquarters at such scenes.
Personally, for this longtime listener, first time caller, I would much rather see the players throw a few punches, sort each other out, and then get on with the game like they were all friends again, like it used to happen.
But having all but eliminated punching and fighting from the game, head office has left the game half-pregnant, tolerating these ridiculous melees that are perhaps not quite as ugly, but certainly more embarrassing, than the old all-in brawl.
It’s hardly a preferred option.
But then the game jumped the shark when Mahoney was charged.
A tackle after the Hastings incident, Mahoney tackled Jack Hetherington with feeling, hanging on too long in the tackle which is unwise in most instances but particularly when Hetherington is involved.
Hetherington is a throwback.
Born a generation too late, and maybe then some, Hetherington clipped Mahoney and the Bulldogs hooker did what we all would do in similar circumstances, the sane ones anyway, and hung on for his dear old life.
So another melee, chests puffed at 10 paces.
Both teams came together and had their little dance and referee Peter Gough called Hetherington out and sent him to the bin.
Gough had already warned both sides he had reached his tolerance and the next flare-up would see players go.
As Hetherington looked on, somewhat bewildered but with a hot temper percolating, Mahoney, like cheeky halves and hookers have always been known to do, rubbed it in further laughing and waving bye-bye.
Then Gough sent Mahoney off, too.
It was all well handled by the referee.
Then came the back page news.
Hetherington waited up the tunnel and Mahoney neared and he started bouncing on his toes, Roberto Duran in warm-up, and smiling with malicious intent.
It was an assassin’s smile.
When Mahoney came into range Hetherington whacked him in the chest. Whether it was a push or a punch was unclear, but it was sufficient enough for the match review committee to charge him with a grade two contrary conduct.
But then the match review committee jumped the shark.
For reasons that struggle for explanation Mahoney was charged with a grade one contrary conduct.
For a smile and a wave?
It had nothing to do with the tunnel incident, NRL officials say, but for his conduct on the field.
It might be the most embarrassing charge ever laid.
With deeper thoughts, though, it highlights how cautious the match review committee is in regard to public reaction.
Charging Mahoney was the safe but weak solution.
It was a pre-emptive charge to head off any damning reaction to the tunnel incident while privately declaring Mahoney was at no actual fault in the incident, should that come up.
Examine Mahoney’s on-field behaviour in isolation and there has never been another player charged for it in the history of the game.
Back in the prehistoric age the ARL, which was then running the game, understood the ugly look all-in brawls were giving the game and the move to eliminate them was as simple as immediately sending off the third man in.
Two players might come together and fight, and the crowd would get their elicit thrill, but the third man in provoked the fourth man and the fifth man and suddenly mums were shielding their children’s eyes.
The NRL could eradicate the melee by simply sin-binning the third player who thinks it’s a good idea to puff his chest out and go shirt-grabbing.
The melee does not cover any of them in glory.
But players have become conditioned to enter as a show of support for a teammate and it has now reached pandemic proportions.
Bring back the third man in rule and save the match review committee from embarrassing itself, and the game, like it did when it charged Mahoney on Monday.
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