Mortimer for Dogs?

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

If Tagataese is suspended for that, we might as well place a protective bubble around the kicker. I understand protecting against players diving at kickers feet, or making contact with their head, but Tagataese did neither. Well played to him. Wasn't as late as people are making out.

Your right, it wasnt late, it was just illegal. Your tune would be completly different if he played for the Bulldogs. How easily you can turn on someone who has strong links to the legendary history of your club.

Family club my arse.

 

[Gronk]

Daniel Mortimer hit was justified: Trevor Gillmeister




"TELL Taga that was great pressure on the kicker." That was the message from John Cartwright that I passed on to Sam Tagataese after he chased through on Daniel Mortimer at the SFS on Friday night. Those nine words probably sum up best the fifth-tackle play that ended up with young Daniel having to be replaced due to a hip injury.
The Parramatta camp may have been a bit angry to have lost their five-eighth and playmaker, but as far as we're concerned we should hear no more over the incident.
I didn't get a good look at the chase. From what I understand Taga was committed and it was just a good chase and tackle. No more, no less. It hadn't even been mentioned in our dressingroom. A few people have asked after big Matt White, and how he felt after missing out on that try just after halftime.
They needn't worry. He's as tough as nails and he'll be fine. If Whitey had scored that try it may have been a different ball game.
But there's dozens of ifs to come out of every footy game, and to sweat on those would be to discount how well Parramatta is travelling.
Like us, the Eels were a bit flat. But it was always going to be a tough ask for them to reproduce the terrific game that got them to the second week of finals.
It's difficult to keep a team at its peak for such a long time, and that's what their coach Daniel Anderson has had to do for the last couple of months.
Can they go any further? That's a tough one. On form I'd say the Dogs would give them a towelling next weekend. But if the Eels can lift and play anything like they did against the Dragons, I have no doubt they'll give the Bulldogs a serious shake.
As for our mob, well, it may have just been one fight too many. We've done it the hard way for the past few weeks.
Sure, we finished third and had the advantage of a home match in the first week of the finals.
However, we were pretty ordinary in Round 26 against Manly, and again had to do a lot of tackling in that match against the Broncos.
You just can't keep giving away headstarts in such a close competition, and that's what we did.
If you're constantly turning over ball against quality opponents, it takes its toll and we paid the ultimate price.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,26096882-5016365,00.html

 

[Gronk]

Sam Tagataese denies he deliberately hit Daniel Mortimer

eter Badel and AAP | September 20, 2009 12:00am

TITANS forward Sam Tagataese insists this hit on Daniel Mortimer was not deliberate. Picture: Fox Sports / The Courier-Mail


TITANS forward Sam Tagataese yesterday vehemently denied that he deliberately launched himself at Daniel Mortimer in a bid to take out the Parramatta playmaker. Mortimer is in doubt for Friday night's preliminary final against the Bulldogs after the 20-year-old suffered a hip flexor injury in a collision with Tagataese during Parramatta's 27-2 thumping of the Titans.
Angry Eels coach Daniel Anderson later accused Tagataese, who played under Anderson at the New Zealand Warriors, of felling Mortimer with a "missile" tackle.




But yesterday Tagataese received the backing of referees boss Robert Finch, who rated the incident worthy of "a penalty at most".
Tagataese said at no stage did he intend to injure the rookie five-eighth as he kicked down field.
"I was just trying to put pressure on him, I didn't think it was late," he said.
"I had already launched at him so I don't know how you pull out when you're in mid-air.
"No way did I try to hurt him. I thought he was going to kick earlier but I saw him take a few steps and I thought, 'Hold on, I could get him here'. If he had kicked away straight away, I would have stopped.
"The ref came up to me later during a break in play and he said, 'Watch out for the late hits', but I didn't think it was late.
"He (Mortimer) didn't say anything.
"To be honest, I didn't even realise he didn't play the rest of the game.
"Hopefully nothing comes of it because I wasn't trying to take him out."
Titans coach John Cartwright said Tagataese was under no instruction to take out Mortimer.
"I haven't seen the replay yet, but if there was any doubt they would have penalised it. They didn't give a penalty," Cartwright said.
"It wasn't intentional, Sam was just putting pressure on the kicker. That's it."
Anderson said Tagataese was "a missile" when he collected Mortimer.
"(Tagataese) had his arms beside him, he didn't go for a tackle and he took out a player," Anderson sid.
"It doesn't matter who it was, whether it was a young bloke or not, he took him out and to have nothing done is disappointing."
Finch said he had only had a brief look at the incident and would undertake a full review of the game with referees Jared Maxwell and Shayne Hayne tomorrow.
But he claimed the sternest action would have been a penalty rather than Tagataese being put on report.
"The player's on the front foot kicking the ball forward, he could have also then gone on and continued to run if he needed to," Finch said.
"He wasn't in the air, he wasn't jumping to kick the ball.
"From my initial viewing, I would have thought the most would have been a penalty."
Titans boss Michael Searle scoffed at Anderson's claim the tackle was late.
"I didn't see anything wrong with it.
"Surely you're still allowed to put pressure on kickers," he said.
"Sometimes you try and downplay things, but we have no reason to talk this down because our season is over.
"Sam might have jammed him but it certainly wasn't malicious and it certainly wasn't late.
"He got him around the hip. I don't see the problem.
"An incident like that has happened 100 times in the past 10 years.
"There was no high shot, he got a bump on the hip," Searle said.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,26098250-5003409,00.html

 

[Gronk]

Refs boss says putting Sam Tagataese on report would have been too harsh

By Steve Jancetic
September 19, 2009 NRL referees boss Robert Finch has dismissed claims Gold Coast back-rower Sam Tagataese should have been put on report for a hit on Parramatta rookie Daniel Mortimer.
Mortimer, who is in doubt for next Friday night's preliminary final against the Bulldogs, suffered a hip-pointer injury in his side's 27-2 win over the Titans after copping a hit from Tagataese shortly after kicking the ball.

Eels coach Daniel Anderson was scathing in his response to the lack of action taken by referees Jared Maxwell and Shayne Hayne, who failed to even penalise the Titans for what he labelled a “missile'' attack.

But Finch - while admitting he had only had a brief look at the incident and would undertake a full review of the game with Maxwell and Hayne on Monday - claimed the sternest action would have been a penalty rather than Tagataese being put on report.

“The player's on the front foot kicking the ball forward, he could have also then gone on and continued to run if he needed to,'' Finch said.

“He wasn't in the air, he wasn't jumping to kick the ball.

“From my initial viewing, I would have thought the most would have been a penalty.''

The referees came under fire at the start of the year for offering kickers too much protection, with even the slightest contact penalised after what Finch then described as a reaction to coaches' fears that star players were being targeted by late hits.

“It's the better players that are kicking for them so their (the coaches) concerns were that they didn't want the better players in the game being bashed out of the game, so we've actioned it,'' Finch said at the start of the season.

There has, however, been a noticeable relaxing of the interpretation after complaints penalties were being called for innocuous contact, though Anderson believes the whistleblowers have gone too far the other way.

“I've had numerous discussions with the referees about kick pressure this year because I've thought in the Origin series that the kickers were getting collected,'' Anderson said.

''(Tagataese) was a missile. He had his arms beside him, he didn't go for a tackle and he took out a player.

“It doesn't matter who it was, whether it was a young bloke or not, he took him out and to have nothing done is disappointing.''

The match review committee will meet on Monday to decide whether any further action will be taken against Tagataese.
AAP

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26095933-23214,00.html

 

[strider]

keep making excuses Finch - it'll make all the referees so much better if we pretend they don't make mistakes :roll:

can we now get Billy "I'm always right" Harrigan in to explain to us all how it was the "right" decision :|

 

[Ridders]

Your right, it wasnt late, it was just illegal. Your tune would be completly different if he played for the Bulldogs. How easily you can turn on someone who has strong links to the legendary history of your club.

Family club my arse.

Oh dear, i defend what i think was acceptable contact and that somehow relates to Mortimer himself? Like i alluded to earlier, there are few things that anger me more than players diving at kickers feet, as that is something that can cause great damage. Same thing with the head. However, if the mid-rift is now off-limits, we might as well make a no-contact rule for kickers.

 

[FUIFUI_MOIMOI]

http://www.rugbyleaguelive.com.au/A...r_keen_to_help_exorcise_the_demons_of_98.aspx

Mortimer keen to help exorcise the demons of '98

Parramatta's most painful finals loss holds only good memories for Daniel Mortimer, but the rookie Eels pivot is desperate to prove his fitness in a bid to erase some of the pain for blue and gold fans.

The Eels take on the Bulldogs in a preliminary final blockbuster at ANZ Stadium on Friday night, a re-match of the 1998 grand final qualifier in which Parramatta squandered a 18-2 with 11 minutes remaining to go down to their arch-rivals.

Mortimer, whose father Peter and uncles Steve and Chris are Bulldogs legends, was at the Sydney Football Stadium that September day 11 years ago, the then nine-year-old clad in blue and white and left delirious with the result.

Now the 20-year-old wants to update the memory bank, though he first must overcome a painful hip-pointer injury which has him in doubt for Friday's showdown.

"If I could get there it would be the biggest day of my life so far - especially against the Doggies," Mortimer told AAP.

"I was at the SFS in the `98 semi-final when the Doggies came back to win, being there was one of the best times of my life, but to be actually playing would be unreal.

"I was there with my footy team from Orange and we all enjoyed it, I was in the blue and white, and it was one of the best comebacks I've seen.

"Hopefully we can do the same, but this time the blue and golds get up."

Since coming into the top grade midway through the year, Mortimer has done little to hide the fact he grew up idolising the Bulldogs.

He even declared the desire to one day don the strip his father and uncles wore with distinction, though Parramatta's fairytale end of season run is doing plenty to help the crafty playmaker feel more and more at home.

"There's no use hiding the fact I was a very passionate Bulldogs fan, but I'd probably say at the moment I'm even more passionate about Parramatta," Mortimer confessed.

"I'm absolutely loving being here and the club, and why wouldn't I?

"They've been great to me and we've won nine from ten now - I never thought we'd be where we are."

Whether Mortimer makes it to Friday night - when a crowd in excess of 60,000 are expected to flock to ANZ Stadium - could be determined by the results of scans on Monday.

Feleti Mateo showed in the semi-final win over Gold Coast that he was a more than handy replacement at five-eighth, but Mortimer's availability would allow coach Daniel Anderson to leave Mateo as the ace on the bench.

The Eels were given a rest on Sunday but will get back down to business on Monday when Anderson will begin his search for a new right centre.

Krisnan Inu is no certainty to be fit as he continues his recovery from a hamstring strain, while his replacement the past three weeks - Jonathan Wright - is unlikely to overcome an ankle sprain in time.

Anderson has the option of moving backrower Ben Smith to the three-quarter line but the former centre has been a revelation playing on right edge as a wide-running forward.

The only other established centre option would be Taulima Tautai, though he hasn't been sighted in the top grade since being dumped to the NSW Cup back in June.

 

[mickdo]

Oh dear, i defend what i think was acceptable contact and that somehow relates to Mortimer himself? Like i alluded to earlier, there are few things that anger me more than players diving at kickers feet, as that is something that can cause great damage. Same thing with the head. However, if the mid-rift is now off-limits, we might as well make a no-contact rule for kickers.

I will repeat, this year the NRL made it illegal to hit a kicker without wrapping the arms to make a tackle. That is the rule. The shot on Mortimer was illegal. You may not like the rule but that is the way it has been all season.

 

[parra pete]

They'd be better off picking me than Tautai. At least I can catch the ball (** thinks....well I use to be able to).
On second thoughts pick Tautai....

 

[attamarrap]

please be fit kris and morts

 

[Aristidis]

Another Mortimer thread...
Hope he plays, Hannant will chuck a De Gois on him.

 

[attamarrap]

hopefully the dally m prop of the year tries to tackle fui's boots with his face again

 

[El Diablo]

they already milked 98 back in 2007 as it was the first time we'd played each other in the finals since that day

Fox showed replays during the week a few times

So now it starts all over again :sleeper:

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Perhaps they will show replays of 2007 then. Doubt it though.

 

[hineyrulz]

Perhaps they will show replays of 2007 then. Doubt it though.

Knocking the Dogs out in all 3 grades if i remember

 

[scottyeel]

Yep, it was all 3, awesome.
Pity we couldn't go 1 further that year.

 

[FUIFUI_MOIMOI]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/...ace-dogs/2009/09/20/1253384903185.html?page=2

Mortimer confident he'll face Dogs

Greg Prichard | September 21, 2009

INJURED Parramatta five-eighth Daniel Mortimer has received encouraging results of MRI scans taken on his hip, prompting him to yesterday declare, ‘‘I’m pretty confident I can get out there’’ against the Bulldogs in the grand-final qualifier at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.

And in further good news for the Eels, the scans taken on centre Jonathan Wright’s injured ankle have revealed the problem to be much less serious than first thought. It was feared Wright had suffered torn ligaments, which would have ended his season, but the damage is restricted to bruising.
The likelihood that Wright will recover in time to play the Bulldogs would be a huge boost for the Eels. Star centre Krisnan Inu has missed both of Parramatta’s finals games with a hamstring injury and is again likely to struggle to take the field this week.

Mortimer was hurt early and Wright late in the 27-2 win over Gold Coast at the SFS last Friday night. Mortimer tried to stay on the field after being slammed in the left side by Titans forward Sam Tagataese as he made a clearing kick downfield, but he was in too much pain and could hardly run.

Fortunately for the Eels, they had another playmaker on the bench in Feleti Mateo, who was able to slot into Mortimer’s position.

Asked for an update on the injury yesterday, Parramatta club doctor Michael Johnson said: ‘‘There are three layers of muscle in the area in which Daniel was hit and it’s only the superficial, or outside, layer that is affected. He’s got a lot of bruising there but there are no associated fractures, so the early signs are good.

‘‘There’s still a way to go before he could be cleared and he won’t train until Wednesday, so we’ll have to wait until then to get a really good idea of how he’s come up, but I’m optimistic. He’s already improving with physio and I think there’s a good chance he’ll be OK to play.

‘‘As far as Jonathan is concerned, he’s got bruising to the side of his ankle, but nothing is torn. Again, you can’t be 100per cent sure at this stage, but he’s improving and he’ll keep having physio. He’s a good chance of playing. Krisnan is doubtful again. He tore a hamstring and these things take time to recover. We’ll have to wait and see how he progresses.’’
Mortimer said he had been buoyed by the significant improvement in his condition since Friday night.

‘‘I spoke to the doctor at the radiology place and Dr Johnson after that, and they said there was a lot of fluid around the joint and some bruising but nothing too bad,’’ he said. ‘‘I was very sore on Friday night, but I’m walking better now, and feeling better. I’m still on painkillers but the good thing is that the pain is just around the hip joint now, and not right down the side of my body like it was on Friday night.

‘‘I know from past injuries that I’m a quick healer and Dr Johnson is optimistic about my chances, so I’m pretty confident I can get out there.’’
Toughness, as well as skill, runs in the Mortimer family. A famous story concerns Daniel’s uncle, Chris, after he had switched from Canterbury to Penrith late in his career.

Towards the end of the regular season in 1989, Chris Mortimer broke his thumb but as the finals approached he cut the plaster cast and pulled out the metal pins with a pair of pliers in front of stunned teammates, so he could resume training.

‘‘Uncle Chris hasn’t told me himself but I’ve heard it off dad and all the old Penrith tragics,’’ Daniel said. ‘‘It’s a cult story and it’s true, and that toughness is something I’d like to live up to. Being a small fellow, you have to learn how to handle yourself anyway.

‘‘I might be able to have needles to help me out but I’ll play through the pain if I have to. One mistake I wouldn’t make, though, is to go out there if I thought I was going to be a liability to the team.’’

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Good good, all sounds good.

 

[Twizzle]

good news on Morts but we need Inu to be right as well

 

[yy_cheng]

Do ya reckon DA will start with Mateo and bring Mortz on after 20??