Broncos officials have been left disappointed for a second day after the ARL Commission resisted enacting a rarely used power that could have seen Victor Radley belatedly charged for making contact on Pat Carrigan with his head.
The Broncos, some NRL officials and even Radley himself were shocked when the Sydney Roosters enforcer avoided being charged for a series of tackles during Saturday night’s win over the Broncos.
He was placed on report three times, with the tackle on Carrigan not cited nor penalised on the night.
Radley was live on Fox Sports when the match review committee released its findings on Sunday, to which Radley asked: “Really? Is this April Fools? Happy days. I thought for sure something was coming.”
Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed senior NRL staff told the Broncos they would re-assess the Carrigan tackle, and that it would be up to the ARLC whether to send it to the judiciary to deal with.
The same sources confirmed the Broncos were upset on Monday when informed the ARLC had decided not to intervene.
The ARLC have had the power to come over the top of the MRC since 2022, but only used it for the first time last year when it fined Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton for raking the eyes of former Melbourne fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen.
Crichton was not charged originally, but was sanctioned a day later after the incident became a huge talking point among fans and the media.
The same sources confirmed Radleywas not charged because the head contact was ruled accidental. They also believed Radley had his arms out ready to complete the tackle.
Matters referred straight to the judiciary tend to be incidents of the most serious nature, which arguably did not apply to the Radley’s tackle.
The Broncos pointed out Carrigan could have suffered damage to his jaw or face, and were grateful Radley was wearing headgear, which would have played some role in softening blow.
Their frustrations, according to the sources, stemmed from the fact Carrigan had just returned from a two-match ban from a tackle they believed was not as reckless as Radley’s.
Several Broncos were stunned no action was taken on the night when the bunker had access to multiple camera angles of the tackle.
Former Cronulla skipper Dale Finucane was banned two matches for a similar head-first tackle on Crichton, who was then playing with Penrith, and said after his suspension: “I was quite surprised with the outcome given it was an accidental offence and given our game hasn’t seen anything sanctioned before for accidental contact.”
Herald colleague Peter FitzSimons posted on X about the Radley tackle: “You can smash another bloke on the chin with your head in the NRL, and stay on the field?? I confess surprise and alarm. If that’s not a send-off, what DOES it take?”
Radley’s full-blooded approach has attracted numerous charges over the years, Roosters teammates were more than happy for him to continue as the side’s chief aggressor.
Captain James Tedesco, who insisted he didn’t think Radley was in trouble when he saw the Carrigan tackle, said: “The way Victor plays, with his aggression and intensity, he’ll always tread that fine line, but if we’re going to nitpick every tackle where the head is involved, there will be a lot of incidents.
“When he does that, and goes after their key players, it’s a big energy builder for us. At training, nobody wants to run at him. He’s a big part of our team, not just because of his defence, but his leadership in and around training and games … we love the way he plays and love him as a leader.”
Representative hooker Reece Robson added: “He’s so physical, blokes don’t want to run at him … I want him to keep bringing it each week. The amount of energy I get playing alongside someone like that is unreal.”
