NRL Round 13 - Knights Vs Eels - 3:00pm Saturday, 30th of May - McDonald Jones Stadium

The head clash Ponga had was never assessed for HIA I suppose.

We should rest him if it was a bad head knock.

Herald article says he's free to play even if he appeals - just a bigger fine.

I think he should appeal - send off that cost QLD the biggest game of the year was way too harsh a punishment for that incident. Hitting him with a fine is adding insult to injury.
 
Billy said:
The head clash Ponga had was never assessed for HIA I suppose.

We should rest him if it was a bad head knock.

Herald article says he's free to play even if he appeals - just a bigger fine.

I think he should appeal - send off that cost QLD the biggest game of the year was way too harsh a punishment for that incident. Hitting him with a fine is adding insult to injury.
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It’s only a fine due to rule changes that mean incidents from origin are given higher penalty($$$) rates than club games to stop players missing club games. From incidents in rep games.

His charge he got in NRL rounds would have been 2 games with early plea or 3 if he fought and lost.

Whilst i still not sure it was shoulder to head he got off lucky with fine considering he wouldn’t have played before origin 2 if it was a club game
 
knights80 said:
It’s only a fine due to rule changes that mean incidents from origin are given higher penalty($$$) rates than club games to stop players missing club games. From incidents in rep games.

His charge he got in NRL rounds would have been 2 games with early plea or 3 if he fought and lost.

Whilst i still not sure it was shoulder to head he got off lucky with fine considering he wouldn’t have played before origin 2 if it was a club game
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If you take out the head clash it might not have even been a penalty and sin bin would have been harsh.
Head clashes have always been treated as accidential, because you'd be psychotic to deliberately try a flying headbutt.
 
Billy said:
The head clash Ponga had was never assessed for HIA I suppose.

We should rest him if it was a bad head knock.

Herald article says he's free to play even if he appeals - just a bigger fine.

I think he should appeal - send off that cost QLD the biggest game of the year was way too harsh a punishment for that incident. Hitting him with a fine is adding insult to injury.
Click to expand...
This was my take home too.

In the aftermath of the contact, you could make an argument that he was a bit dazed/stung.
The ball lands on the Queensland player. Ponga kind of goes to pick it up and seems to hesitate/get a bit stuck in that moment before Young comes and tackles him. I think it warranted enough for a HIA - but all the focus was on him and the send off.

Whether or not that was pain, reaction to Koula on the ground, or what, it’s hard to say. But I admit, my first thought was that he had a head injury from it.

In saying that, I’m hopeful that Ponga takes concussion etc serious after his history and would raise the issue with the Knights if he didn’t feel too great. - not sure if there’s an 11 day stand down for player developing concussion symptoms that wasn’t assessed for HIA.
 
Klein overruled the bunker, telling him that it was a head clash. In that light, it was a ridiculous decision. The fine for KP seems more about face-saving. The next face-saving step should be to, as quietly as possible, appoint a different ref for game 2. I'm sure the QLDRL are screaming the house down behind the scenes.

It will be interesting to see if KP passes the protocols, which I'm sure will be applied, if the club opts to rest him anyway, given that both JSaf and Lucas will back up, and the Eels are in an injury crisis.
 
With the amount of times Ashley Klein has screwed over NSW, and the Knights it is a bit pleasing to see the shoe on the other foot. Also funny they wound back the clock with reffing cutting back on 6 agains etc. Way better to watch then the weekly footy grind.
 
Hard to tell sometimes when the guy gets straight up and isn't as known for staying down. Wouldn't have a problem if he didn't play either way, and if he had played every (or close to) every game so far he probably wouldn't be playing Saturday.
 
jamesgould said:
Actually just seen the quote form Ponga and he said he thought it was a sin bin from Klein, not a send off.
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Was that directly or the aftermath?

“Mate, that’s a shoulder charge to the head, so that’s a send-off to me,” Klein said, with only his side of the conversation audible on the broadcast as he reiterated “shoulder charge to the head” three times. “Shoulder charge direct to the head, mate.”

Klein then said when sending Ponga off: “Shoulder charge, it makes direct contact to the head. You’ve got a duty of care, you’re off.”

Ponga retorted: “My shoulder or my head? I hit my head.” He pointed to his bleeding left ear while making the point.

I think with the way things are players will assume sometimes its a HIA when its head to head contact.
 
R_A said:
Was that directly or the aftermath?

“Mate, that’s a shoulder charge to the head, so that’s a send-off to me,” Klein said, with only his side of the conversation audible on the broadcast as he reiterated “shoulder charge to the head” three times. “Shoulder charge direct to the head, mate.”

Klein then said when sending Ponga off: “Shoulder charge, it makes direct contact to the head. You’ve got a duty of care, you’re off.”

Ponga retorted: “My shoulder or my head? I hit my head.” He pointed to his bleeding left ear while making the point.

I think with the way things are players will assume sometimes its a HIA when its head to head contact.
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Aftermath.

“I didn’t realise it was a send off when I left (the field). I had no idea what was going on to be honest. I thought it was 10 minutes, and to be honest, I thought they might have assessed me for a head knock.

“At the end of the day, it is what it is. The ref made the call.”
 
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