Morgan Smithies (Wigan Warriors)

Grade C Headbutting - Two Match Penalty Notice

Grade D Dangerous Contact - Refer to Tribunal

He was always going to get pinned for the crusher tackle with the fuss that was kicked up on Sky and then by Powell. The head butting is just stupid and it’s a part of his game that needs getting shut of. I love his aggression and his desire but it’s been over stepping the mark recently. He’s probably going to sit out 5 games or more now.

Not ideal! Grade D is 3-5 matches so looks like we'll be missing him a while. Not convinced the headbutt was that bad. The crusher is fair enough though, I don't think he meant it but he needs to be more careful with his technique there. We know how serious they can be.

So looking at 6/7 altogether.
Time for Greenwood to step up.

Should get a lengthy ban and rightfully so. Don't want to see that kind of behaviour from one of our players in any circumstances. Hope someone is having a word with him.

Don't no if it will make any difference but James Clare tweeted that he is back home and X rays showed nothing serious.

That's good news.

Very stupid of him, especially the headbutt, he will learn from it. Glad we get Partington back and Lockers due back soon, we are well stocked in the back row. The overreaction by Sky was stupid though and obviously influences judiciary decisions, it has done for ages.

Referees also need to clamp down on ball carriers grabbing onto defenders, it’s been happening for years. I remember Joel Tomkins (I think) getting penalised for trying to hit a players arm off him - still the only time I’ve ever seen that penalised but it just stops the tacklers getting away from the PTB and often they get dragged to the ground with them.

I like Smithies but he needs to learn to focus his aggression in the right way. Hopefully a big ban will help him work out how to do this.

Attackers grabbing hold of defenders is a pet hate of mine, it happens a lot. Frankly the attacker deserves their arm being hit but throwing your head in is going too far.

The crusher was unfortunate. I don’t think there was any intent. It is however the defenders responsibility to ensure these things don’t happen and in this case Smithies did not. They are very dangerous and whether accidental or not deserve a ban. What frustrates me is there was another one in the game, also by a Wigan player and I have seen quite a few other accidental ones recently yet none of those get a grade D charge.

It was, but unless he's straightened out will he continue to be stupid.
He wouldn't have walked of the pitch if Mal Reilly or Dennis Hartley had still been playing for Cas.
Not trolling, just saying how it used to be, and for the better as us old timers like to think.

As above, a ban is justified one way or another.

The fact he's probably going to be sitting out more games than Makinson is a joke though.

I can see Partington getting called up before Greenwood as i don't think Lam rates Greenwood

They also need to clamp down on Grubs like Mcshane who must get up off opposition players faces at least 20 times in a game

Indeed. Smithies will rightly get banned for a poor tackle in which he needs to do better, but those house players that leave hands in, elbows etc every tackle are still gettingbaway with it.

that's brilliant from a Wigan fan

Possibly the usual moaning by the Castleford coach may have set the stall out for the disciplinary committee to make their decision about the 'D' charge.

Yet again Wigan had more citing's than the opposition, five to two with the two by Cas being the same player.

Anyone would think that Cas and other teams are a bunch of angels and Wigan, a bunch of thugs.

The picture says it all!

Smithies seems to have gone like he has in recent games since he lost his starting position to Havard.

He needs to calm down or else he will become a target for the disciplinary committee like certain other players.

Is it? I wonder which one Watts and Clare think is more dangerous.

Probably Watts, the tackle wasnt intended and the grab was, attackers need to stop running in with their head down and especially turning their back and trying to make metres as thats what causes most crushers

The guy who played on - not the guy who took a long time to be stretchered off with a neck/back injury?

Didn't say we don't have any players that do that did I?

6-game ban just reported on twitter by Phil Wilkinson.

Oh, so it was Clare's fault. I'm sure the disciplinary panel will throw this case out on that basis.

Where did he say that?

There are very few intentional crusher tackles, the one that springs to mind was Ferres on Gildart.

Crusher tackles tend to occur when the attacker starts backing into the defenders so it is fair to say the attacker contributes towards getting themselves into that position. That said, it is the defenders responsibility to ensure they don’t apply downward force into the head/neck and need to adjust their technique or learn when to pull out of a tackle if the attacker has ended up in that position.

This awareness and judgment from the defenders point of view will take time and training. I haven’t a problem with the ban for Smithies and am glad Clare has escaped with just a strain. What frustrates me is I’ve seen 6 or 7 of these over the past few weeks yet only 1 has got a grade D charge.