Carl Webb to serve suspension in trial matches

[Bomber]

He will be available for Round 1

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,17868316-23214,00.html

Webb to serve NRL ban in trials
By Steve Ricketts
January 19, 2006

NORTH Queensland enforcer Carl Webb will be match hardened and available for the NRL round 1 fixture against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on March 12, even though he has two matches to serve from a six-week ban for striking.

Ban ... Webb missed four finals last season. Pic: Mark Evans

Vote: Do you agree with the NRL decision?

Comment: When is a ban not a ban?


Webb is set to play three Queensland Cup trials before the Suncorp blockbuster while serving the remaining two weeks of his NRL ban when the Cowboys play NRL-sanctioned trials on February 18 and February 25.

Everything is above board, with the Cowboys getting the green light from the NRL and the Queensland Rugby League for the ploy, although Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen admitted to some reservations.

"It surprises me, to tell the truth," Cullen said.

"It appears on the surface Carl is not really serving his full suspension."

Webb was named yesterday in what is essentially a Cowboys Young Guns team to play the Broncos in a Queensland Rugby League (QRL) trial in Rockhampton on February 11.

Cowboys football manager Kelly Egan said Webb would also play for the Young Guns in curtain-raisers to Cowboys trials against New Zealand Warriors in Cairns on February 18 and South Sydney in Mackay on February 25.

The Cairns match will be against a Papua New Guinea Development side. In Mackay, Webb will be up against Central Queensland.

NRL operations manager Graham Annesley said yesterday that judiciary chairman Judge Greg Woods had ruled the matches against the Warriors and Souths should count as part of Webb's suspension.


Annesley said Woods had no problems with Webb playing in "practice matches" as long as he had permission from the QRL and that was forthcoming.

Webb was banned for six matches for punching Melbourne forward Ryan Hoffman in a final-round NRL match in Townsville last year.

As a result, the Queensland State of Origin star missed all four of the Cowboys' finals matches, watching from the grandstand as the Cowboys lost 30-16 to Wests Tigers in the grand final.

Webb's presence in the Cowboys team for the March 12 match against Brisbane will add spice to a clash in which the Broncos hope to regain Queensland bragging rights from the Cowboys.

Eight Cowboys - Webb, Travis Norton, Matt Bowen, Paul Bowman, Johnathan Thurston, Aaron Payne, Ty Williams and Luke O'Donnell - will fly to Sydney today for taping of the NRL's 2006 television commercial.

The Cowboys squad for the February 11 trial against the Broncos includes newcomers Mark Henry (from Central Comets), Ray Cashmere (Wests Tigers), Scott Smith (Souths Logan), Rob Tanielu (Melbourne) and Russell Aitken (Cronulla). Team: Brenton Bowen, Jason Barsley, Mark Henry, Rod Jensen, Neil Sweeney, Shane Muspratt, Brett Firman, Matt Scott, Clint Amos, Ray Cashmere, Carl Webb, Daniel Strickland, Jacob Lillyman; Res: Brent McConnell, Scott Smith, Gavin Cooper, Rob Tanielu, Russell Aitken

 

[Jono078]

Ahh I been watching too much wrestling, I read Mark Henry and thought 'wtf?'

Anyway I think its stupid, trial matches shouldnt count towards the suspention.

 

[Danish]

Carl Webb is a androtop. And the NRL are even bigger androtops for letting this tosspot off with 6 weeks for an 18 week crime.

Its pathetic that he can serve his suspension in trial matches.

 

[Godz Illa]

Terrible terrible decision. Webb misses 2 meaningless trials, yet the same points grading can see players miss Tests, Origins and Finals matches. According to the judiciary, trials = Origins = Tests = Finals = Grand Finals. This is just not so. Changes need to be made, and soon.

 

[Mr Saab]

this has been the rule for a long time now so i dont know what the uproar is.
I am sure if it were a player from your team that could use the trials to serve part/all of the suspension then you wouldnt be creating such an uproar.

 

[Pierced Soul]

yeah this system of allowing trials has been in operation for a while and I've never udnerstood why it's allowed. trials are not part of the season proper nor are they rep games. there's no way they should be counted

 

[El Diablo]

yeah this system of allowing trials has been in operation for a while and I've never udnerstood why it's allowed. trials are not part of the season proper nor are they rep games. there's no way they should be counted

yup

been this way for years

 

[shadow grinder]

its been this way for years...and it still stinks the same as it always has.

 

[skeepe]

I know it's been the same for a while, but it really shouldn't be. They should be allowed to play the trials, and then miss the regular season games.

 

[wittyfan]

Witty has a two week suspension still to serve so he'll probably miss two trial games as well.

 

[Eelementary]

How many weeks did he get?

Because if he can do this, then so should Fui be able to do.

 

[Mr Saab]

Fui is able to do so. There is no drama there Eelementary. It is not one rule for one and one rule for others. Any player who has a suspension that carries over into 2006 can use 2 trials and 2 trials only as part of their suspension. How many weeks did Fui get again? He has served 2 with the manly and NQ semi...2 for the trials coming up

 

[Eelementary]

Ah OK cool. Not that I agree with it (but I don't agree with the system much either).

Yeah, Fui got 9 weeks (for a tackle that wasn't even penalised during the match).

Not a big fan of this judiciary, really.

True, reckless actions need to be punished. But if you take out all the 'enforcers' in the game... What's left? lol

People love enforcers.

 

[rednut]

i think fui got 8 matches from memory, might be completely wrong tho

 

[El Diablo]

the 7's had a strange rule

Hindmarsh wasn't allowed to play in them as he was suspended yet it didn't count as missing one game of his suspension

 

[Parra Guru]

I'm not disappointed with that option, however the judiciary needs to be a bit more consistant with the sentencing.

Fui didn't deserve the amount of weeks he got, but Webb deserved more.

 

[Danish]

whatever Fui got, it certainly wasnt half as bad as what Webb did, despite the difference in lengths.


I think the main reason there is more uproar this time is because Webb got a fracttion of what he deserved in the first place. And now he will be available after all of 4 true weeks on the sidelines

 

[nqboy]

Yeah, Fui got 9 weeks (for a tackle that wasn't even penalised during the match).

Good thing we have a video review committee.

Not a big fan of this judiciary, really.

True, reckless actions need to be punished. But if you take out all the 'enforcers' in the game... What's left? lol

People love enforcers.

The line between enforcer and reckless is fine indeed but I have no problem with it. The Axe never needed to go high to have blokes watching out for him.

 

[effnic]

it is wrong that carl gets round one but you have to remember he missed a grand final the main reason they play during the year is to get to there i think he has learnt his lesson.

 

[innsaneink]

Bryce Gibbs copped five weeks I think it was at the end of '04 against the Broncos and cut a few games out of his suspension early last year in NRL sanctioned trials.