Blacker faces four-game ban over dangerous contact charge

[TruSaint]

Dragons forward Eddie Blacker is facing the prospect of a four-game suspension over the incident which saw young Sharks half Jack Williams hospitalised with nerve damage to his throat.

Blacker has been charged with grade-two dangerous contact to the head/neck of Williams in last Friday's pre-season trial match, a high-scoring contest in which Cronulla's youngsters prevailed.


Blacker is facing a four-game ban due to carry-over points on top of what would be a three-week suspension after collecting Williams with a forearm to the throat as he ran into the defence from a kick-off.

Williams continued to play for a few minutes before coming from the field and was later taken to hospital.

He was placed in an induced coma as a precautionary measure for a few hours due to breathing difficulties.

The local Cronulla junior suffered nerve damage to his throat but has been able to sit up in bed for the past couple of days and continues to undergo tests regarding the injury.

Due to a prior offence in the past two years, Blacker cannot get a reduction from a three-week ban with an early guilty plea and risks an extra week on the sidelines if he contests the charge at the judiciary.

Match Highlights: Sharks v Dragons


Match Highlights: Sharks v Dragons

The 21-year-old joined St George Illawarra in 2019 from the Broncos and made his NRL debut in round 20 last season off the bench against Melbourne.

Dragons teammate Jayden Sullivan can escape a ban for a dangerous throw on Cronulla's Gabe Hamlin.

Kayleb Milne will also accrue just 75 demerit points if the Sharks young gun does likewise for a similar tackle on Dragons veteran Tariq Sims.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/02/15/blacker-faces-four-game-ban-over-dangerous-contact-charge/

 

[kit66]

Blacker might want to try running hard and straight from a kick off ( I can't remember ever seeing a prop run straight into touch from a kick off, good grief ) and Hamlin might want to change his tackling technique on big fellas.

 

[Evil Emperor Zurg]

Pretty sure I remember the tackle. It did look bad.

 

[Maddragon99]

Pretty sure I remember the tackle. It did look bad.

Disappointed to see a potential 4wk ban but Blacker is always going to be an enforcer type player which is something we’ve been lacking for some time. He’ll turn into a very good player given time & experience.

 

[kit66]

Here's the tackle, awkward and accidental. Not deliberate at all, 3 - 4 weeks is a bit rough.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/02/15/blacker-faces-four-game-ban-over-dangerous-contact-charge/

 

[Miller was a legend]

Here's the tackle, awkward and accidental. Not deliberate at all, 3 - 4 weeks is a bit rough.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/02/15/blacker-faces-four-game-ban-over-dangerous-contact-charge/

Agree Kit, but the length of the proposed ban is due to carry over points

 

[thebigredv]

4 weeks for that? Sorry, that's rubbish.

 

[Dragon David]

4 weeks for that? Sorry, that's rubbish.

Carry over points make it bad for Blacker, but being penalised for a reflex action was a bit harsh in the first place in my opinion.

 

[Miller was a legend]

4 weeks for that? Sorry, that's rubbish.

Should be 8 weeks for running to the side line

 

[Forbes Creek Dragons]

Dragons forward Eddie Blacker is facing the prospect of a four-game suspension over the incident which saw young Sharks half Jack Williams hospitalised with nerve damage to his throat.

Blacker has been charged with grade-two dangerous contact to the head/neck of Williams in last Friday's pre-season trial match, a high-scoring contest in which Cronulla's youngsters prevailed.


Blacker is facing a four-game ban due to carry-over points on top of what would be a three-week suspension after collecting Williams with a forearm to the throat as he ran into the defence from a kick-off.

Williams continued to play for a few minutes before coming from the field and was later taken to hospital.

He was placed in an induced coma as a precautionary measure for a few hours due to breathing difficulties.

The local Cronulla junior suffered nerve damage to his throat but has been able to sit up in bed for the past couple of days and continues to undergo tests regarding the injury.

Due to a prior offence in the past two years, Blacker cannot get a reduction from a three-week ban with an early guilty plea and risks an extra week on the sidelines if he contests the charge at the judiciary.

Match Highlights: Sharks v Dragons


Match Highlights: Sharks v Dragons

The 21-year-old joined St George Illawarra in 2019 from the Broncos and made his NRL debut in round 20 last season off the bench against Melbourne.

Dragons teammate Jayden Sullivan can escape a ban for a dangerous throw on Cronulla's Gabe Hamlin.

Kayleb Milne will also accrue just 75 demerit points if the Sharks young gun does likewise for a similar tackle on Dragons veteran Tariq Sims.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/02/15/blacker-faces-four-game-ban-over-dangerous-contact-charge/

Hope the Sharks bloke is okay, I actually thought Sullivan was going to get pinged for that tackle he did, thankfully he didn't. With the possible Norman suspension Sullivan is a half decent shot of grabbing a few weeks to start the season.

 

[George Dragon]

Here's the tackle, awkward and accidental. Not deliberate at all, 3 - 4 weeks is a bit rough.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/02/15/blacker-faces-four-game-ban-over-dangerous-contact-charge/

Agree has his head down, forearm to the throat should be grade one careless.
The club can contest the grade and still plead guilty, so could get a reduction.
Not sure how the rules work in trial game suspensions but normally trials don't count as suspension games and players can still play in trial matches for grade one and two charges.

 

[thebigredv]

Carry over points make it bad for Blacker, but being penalised for a reflex action was a bit harsh in the first place in my opinion.

Maybe the NRL are choosing their flavour of the month. I've never seen an attacking ball-carrying player penalised/suspended for anything other than a knee or elbow.

 

[thebigredv]

Should be 8 weeks for running to the side line

That, I have no dramas with.

 

[Forbes Creek Dragons]

Should be 8 weeks for running to the side line

Hopefully Hook can sit the young bloke down and teach him some physics.

 

[Miller was a legend]

Hopefully Hook can sit the young bloke down and teach him some physics.

Hope so mate. The kid looks like he will make a fine player, just get dumb stuff like that out of his game

 

[BLM01]

Here's the tackle, awkward and accidental. Not deliberate at all, 3 - 4 weeks is a bit rough.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/02/15/blacker-faces-four-game-ban-over-dangerous-contact-charge/

Yeh dont tell me the injury aftermath did not have anything to do with the grading and the decision in the type of offence (dangerous contact)..not just the action itself with what it should be judged on.
Wont be the last time the jaw drops with the match review committee especially when a popular player gets a fine for a similar accidental high tackle.
prior carry over BS or not, deserved no more than a week.
How much did Burgess get for something similar to JMoz?

 

[Forbes Creek Dragons]

Hope so mate. The kid looks like he will make a fine player, just get dumb stuff like that out of his game

Yeah same, I think of all the players he is one that will really benefit from Hook, he just needs a good straight talking, old fashioned approach imo.

 

[SIR LANCELOT]

If he was a Rooster he would get off. NO PROBLEMO !!!

 

[Forster Dragon]

Rubbish and he did nothing deliberate he should contest the charge

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

4 weeks for that? Sorry, that's rubbish.

Agreed.

Just posted similarly in the NRL forum...

Compare Blackers with Nathan Browns so-called “enforcer hit” in State of Origin which idiot journos were raving about. Not a thing came of it despite it being a blatant forearm to Jake Friends head/jaw that knocked him silly.

This should be part of Eddie’s defence..