The NRL are poised to request a ‘please explain’ from Canterbury officials over the removal of Jeremy Marshall-King from the field in the dying minutes of the club’s 6-4 win over the Cowboys last Sunday night.
Marshall-King was taken from the field for a HIA with nine-minutes remaining in the Bulldogs two-point victory.
This was despite the Canterbury hooker clutching at his shoulder for more than sixty-seconds prior to the Bulldogs orange shirt trainer tapping his head; the signal to the sideline that Marshall-King be taken off for a HIA.
Only moments before his omission, Marshall-King appears to injure his right shoulder in attempting a diving tackle on Cowboys backrower Jeremiah Nanai with just over 10-minutes remaining in the tight contest.
Fox Sports commentator Steve Roach pointed out the injury by stating during the call: “Marshall-King with a shoulder injury by the looks of it.’’
Head caller Brenton Speed added: “You can hear what the home fans think. They think it’s a bit of gamesmanship here to slow this down.’’
Co-commentator Shane Flanagan then said: “Now he’s undergoing a HIA test.’’
“I thought he was clutching his shoulder?”, Roach then quipped.
The NRL are set to ask for a detailed explanation from the Bulldogs as to the actual reason for Marshall-King’s exit from the game.
It comes in the wake of Cowboys coach Todd Payten venting his frustration over the mount of stoppages in the game.
“Whether that (amount of stoppages) was deliberate on a couple of occasions I’m unsure, but certainly the game stopped when we had momentum more than a couple of times,” Payten said post-match.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley wouldn’t comment on the Marshall-King incident.
However, Annesley did explain the process of club’s being summoned to explain why they are not in breach of NRL rules related to the interchange of players.
“We review any head injuries or claimed head injuries, we review them all internally,’’ Annesley said.
“And then we will often seek further information from clubs before we decide whether our rules have been breached or not.
“That process can take more than one day, so that review process is still being followed through.’’
Marshall-King has been named to start at hooker against the Broncos on Sunday night.
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