In case you’re not an NRL fan, the Melbourne Storm qualified for their third-straight NRL grand final last night with a 22-6 win over the Cronulla Sharks at AAMI Park.
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The scoreline wasn’t the biggest story of the night though, as retiring Storm legend Billy Slater put himself at risk of a suspension with a blatant shoulder charge in the first half.
Speculation as to whether he would be charged for the incident ended this afternoon when the NRL announced Slater was charged with a grade-one shoulder charge. That charge carries a 200 point penalty, which would see him miss the grand final next weekend.
The debate will now switch over to whether Slater deserves to be suspended for the incident. Now, I’m not going to weigh in on whether he should be suspended, but I will try and break down the potential consequences of each decision.
This all works under the assumption that the Melbourne Storm will challenge the charge at the judiciary. Considering Slater is retiring, there’s no risk to challenging outside of copping the suspension that has been handed down. So there’s really no valid reason for Melbourne to not challenge the charge.
First of all we’ll look at what could happen if Slater’s suspension is upheld. I’ve already seen numerous comments and posts on social media saying something along the lines of “if Slater misses the grand final because of that, I’ll never watch the NRL again in my life”.
Now, that kind of comment may be hyperbole, but it sums up the feeling among a lot of NRL fans at the present time. One of the most common complaints I’ve heard from fans of rugby league is that the sport is going soft, and rubbing someone out for what was a staple of the sport as recently as five years ago won’t sit well with those fans.
Having said that, there’s a valid reason as to why the shoulder charge was made illegal, and we’ve unfortunately seen serious injuries and deaths at lower levels due to the effects of a shoulder charge.
It’s no secret that most fans of any sport enjoy watching the best players play in the biggest moments. Slater playing his final match in an NRL grand final would certainly fulfil those requirements.
Shane Webcke and Steven Menzies both had the privilege of winning an NRL premiership in their final match, and Slater (and possibly Cameron Smith, but that’s another story) would deserve the same chance in many fans eyes.
So what will the consequence be if Slater’s suspension is upheld? Probably quite a backlash from the fans.
It may happen as soon as the grand final as well, as fans could boycott the game both at the stadium and on television as backlash for the decision.
The bigger issue may be the NRL’s foothold in Melbourne, as one would expect Storm fans to show their disapproval of the decision in a big way next season, and potentially even further into the future.
The consequences of letting Slater off may be even more dire for the NRL though. Not only is there another section of fans wanting the charge to stick, but clubs around the competition would instantly question the decision.
It’s no secret that superstars get special treatment in a lot of sporting codes around the world. It’s never officially admitted by said sport’s governing body, but just watching a match is enough to see that it happens.
If Slater is free to play in the grand final, 15 other clubs would be asking why their players don't get the same treatment.
We would also probably see a lot more club’s use the “It’s a milestone”, “he’s a special player” or “he’s usually a really good bloke” defence at the judiciary.
The AFL already faced backlash for that type of defence in an incident involving Richmond player Bachar Houli last year, and the tribunal is still ridiculed for it to this day.
We already see inconsistencies in the judiciary, but letting a player off on the eve of the grand final would be viewed very negatively by other clubs, regardless of what defence is used.
It seems like the NRL are in a situation where they will cop a backlash no matter what happens to Slater at the judiciary.
So I guess I’ve got just one thing to say to them: Good luck.