The Roosters suffered a major blow ahead of half-time against the Eels, as star enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was given marching orders after an ugly high shot on Parramatta‘s Shaun Lane.
The incident occurred just seconds after a stellar attacking set from the visitors before a Mitchell Moses bomb bounced back in the direction of Parramatta.
Waerea-Hargreaves attempted to make a tackle on Lane 30 metres out from his line, but instead found himself nailing the second-rower on the chin.
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“He’s wiped him out with a high one,” Dan Ginnane said on Fox League.
Referee Chris Butler awarded a penalty to Parramatta as Waerea-Hargreaves returned to the line, however, Parramatta opted to wait in an attempt to get the Bunker involved.
“Are Parramatta waiting for the Bunker to get involved here? Yes, they seem to be waiting for the Bunker,” Ginnane said.
“James Tedesco wants nothing to do with this.
“Will a penalty be sufficient (enough) or will we see a sin-bin?”
Eventually the Bunker got involved with Butler calling Roosters skipper Tedesco to the middle of the field alongside Waerea-Hargreaves.
“There was direct force and no attempt to lower your height at all,” Butler told Tedesco and Waerea-Hargreaves.
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League legend Greg Alexander agreed with the Bunker’s decision.
“In a play like that you take the risk… and that’s exactly what [Lane] did,” he said on Fox League.
Waerea-Hargreaves was not the first sent from the field in the game, with Eels star Kelma Tuilagi binned for an ugly tackle on Lindsay Collins.
The backrower immediately realised his fate after he flipped Collins upside down.
Butler did not hesitate with the decision, with Tuilagi ordered off the field.
The incident set up Junior Pauga to score the first points of the night, crossing in the corner for the tri-colours.
“It could’ve been worse than it actually looked,” Mal Meninga said of Tuilagi’s tackle at halftime on Fox League
“He will be out for a long time,” Cooper Cronk replied.
Parramatta trailed by 10 at half-time.