Broncos may challenge Thaiday NRL grading - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Broncos may challenge Thaiday NRL grading

By Wayne Heming 05/09/2011 06:19:26 PM Comments (0)

Brisbane are refusing to rule out challenging the severity of Sam Thaiday's dangerous throw grading, at the risk of costing their incoming captain a possible NRL grand final.

"We're not making a decision until tomorrow morning," football operations manager Andrew Gee told AAP following speculation the club would cop the two weeks with an early guilty plea.

"We've looked at a lot of vision today and we're going to sleep on it and make a decision on Tuesday morning."

The club spent much of Monday afternoon pouring over video of dangerous throw tackles, including South Sydney forward Dave Taylor's tackle on Brisbane prop Scott Anderson in June which, ultimately, cost him a State of Origin jumper.

There was also a nasty lifting tackle by Newcastle winger Akuila Uate before the first Origin game this year deemed only a grade one.

South Sydney tried to use the Uate grading in Taylor's defence before judiciary chairman Greg Woods advised panel members it had been "wrongly graded" and, therefore, could not be used as a comparison.

Brisbane have until midday (AEST) on Tuesday to notify the NRL whether it will accept or contest Thaiday's grading, dished out by the match review committee for his 68th-minute tackle, which dumped Manly prop Brent Kite on his shoulder on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.

If Thaiday, who last visited the NRL judiciary in 2007, enters an early guilty plea to the grade-two charge, he would miss two games.

But if Brisbane roll the dice, up the stakes and lose, the Queensland and Australian prop would miss three games and, depending on how results fall in the opening week of the finals, possibly miss the grand final if the Broncos win through.

Only two players, Taylor (grade two) and Roosters forward Frank-Paul Nuuausala (grade one) have challenged their gradings this season.

Both were unsuccessful.

It would be a considerable gamble for Brisbane and Thaiday to attempt to be the first club to have a dangerous throw charge downgraded.

Brisbane believe there are enough circumstances in Thaiday's favour to seriously consider a challenge.

They would argue Thaiday did not put his hands between Kite's legs, that Thaiday did not physically drive Kite into the ground after his legs slipped above the horizontal and that it was a good tackle gone wrong.

They would also present video of other dangerous-throw tackles they considered similar or worse than Thaiday's which were deemed to be grade one.

If Brisbane goes ahead with the challenge, Thaiday will have legal representation at Wednesday night's judiciary hearing in Sydney.

"If we take it on and lose, we get three weeks, if he pleads guilty, he gets two weeks and, if we take it on and win, he gets nothing," Gee said.

"We have to consider all our options and we'll do that in the morning after we've had some more advice."

A disappointed Thaiday, who was still getting his head around the charge on Monday, has left the final decision up to the club.

"We'll make a decision in the morning (Tuesday) and move on from there," said Gee.

Brought to you by AAP AAP © 2024 AAP

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