Raiders hooker Tom Starling has brutally called out a social media troll who targeted him and his partner after Canberra’s loss to the Wests Tigers on Thursday night.
After the Tigers continued their strong start to the season with a 33-14 win at Leichhardt Oval, tempers flared with Starling and Tigers winger Sunia Turuva exchanging words before a push and shove ensued.
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Code Sports reports people nearby heard someone being accused of being a “snitch” before the biffo broke out while other players were shaking hands and exchanging post-game pleasantries.
It is unclear which player muttered the word but it definitely struck a nerve as Starling shoved Turuva before the Tigers winger grabbed a hold of his jersey.
“After the match a bit of a scuffle took place on the field. Bit of a drama, bit of brouhaha,” Matty Johns said on Fox League’s Late Show with Matty Johns.
“As we know, Turuva likes to chirp.”
Former Queensland Origin player Billy Moore added: “They had a few pushies and shovies earlier in the game actually, so that was a square up.”
On Friday, Starling shared a screenshot to his Instagram stories of a direct message sent by a fan, featuring a torrent of vile abuse.
Starling called out the disgusting and vile abuse, writing: “Say what you want about the players, leave women out of it. Don’t be this guy.”
In a fresh twist, veteran Raiders prop Josh Papali’i shared a video of the fan on his knees apologising for threatening Starling.
“Delete your page bruthaaa,” Papali’i captioned the video, which has been inundated with comments from NRL players who couldn’t get enough of the fan getting put in their place.
Latrell Mitchell commented “they all like that” with three laughing emojis.
Parramatta Eels player Bailey Simonsson wrote: “@tslarting one of the greats”.
Josh Addo-Carr was in stitches in the comments, while rugby league players Hudson Young, Ezra Mam, Kotoni Staggs, Chevy Stewart and Jada Taylor all commented with cry laughing emojis.
The video posted by Papali’li went viral before it was eventually taken down.
Tigers ‘f*** you’ chant ‘in bad taste’
There was plenty of feeling in the clash — Tigers fans on the hill at Leichhardt mocked the Raiders by replicating Canberra’s Viking Clap as they claimed a dominant win.
Sections of the crowd were also heard chanting “F*** you Canberra.”
“A lot of the hill started doing the Viking Clap. My initial reaction was I didn’t really like it,”
rugby league reporter James Hooper said on the Rugby League Insider podcast.
“You’ve got to show humility when you win and humility when you lose.
“I know the Tigers have been through hell, I reckon that makes it even more of a bad scene.
“The real doozy that I did think was absolutely off-tap and out of order was the ‘f*** you Canberra’.
“It was loud and long enough. Everyone’s got plenty on board, they’re having a good time, the club is having a great win. I just thought it was in bad taste.”
In the first half, the Tigers were awarded a penalty when Starling was ruled to have made a high tackle on Turuva, even though replays showed Turuva may have exaggerated the contact.
After referee Ashley Klein awarded the penalty, Turuva had words for Starling before Tigers centre Taylan May came in and rubbed Starling’s head as tensions started to bubble.
“Some anger from the man who is usually so joyous, Sunia Turuva,” Fox League’s Dan Ginnane said in commentary.
“It slipped up high but then it dropped around the chest. Turuva kept running and made it look spectacular,” Greg Alexander said.
After a fairly even first half, the Tigers scored four tries to none in the second half to claim a dominant victory, with Luke Laulilii and Adam Doueihi both scoring a double.
But it may have come at a significant price with Jahream Bula injured and Api Koroisau placed on report during their 33-14 victory over the Raiders.
Benji Marshall’s side may have thrilled the 17,153-strong Leichhardt Crowd by battling back from a 14-10 halftime deficit to claim their fifth win of the season.
However, this elation will be short-lived with Koroisau suspended for three games and Bula set for scans on an injured shoulder.
Koroisau was dispatched to the bin by referee Ashley Klein in the 28th minute after an alleged hip drop tackle on Noah Martin. The Raiders rookie managed to stay on for the rest of the first half, but succumbed to injury and didn’t return after the break.
Koroisau was in hot water once again in the 52nd minute, placed on report for a second time due to a lifting tackle.
As for Bula, he came from the field in the 67th minute after aggravating a left shoulder injury sustained during last weekend’s loss to Brisbane.
It was a bittersweet evening for the Tigers, who moved to second on the ladder on 12 points, but also lost boom forward Kai Pearce-Paul to a failed HIA.
– With NewsWire
