Dylan Napa‘s Super League debut has ended on a sour note, after the former Queensland State of Origin forward was sent off for an ugly high shot.
Napa, who joined Catalans from the Bulldogs following the 2021 season, was given his marching orders late in the second half after flooring St Helens centre Mark Percival with a shoulder charge.
“He’s gone for this, clear contact with the head,” said former Great Britain prop Barrie McDermott in commentary.
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“He’s going to see the judiciary panel quite a number of times this year. He’s got to get that right.
“Direct contact with the head, you just can’t do it.”
Lead caller Bill Arthur added: “It’s worse every time you see it.”
St Helens won the match 28-8.
Napa, who won an NRL premiership with the Roosters, is now facing an extended stint on the sideline.
Speaking after the match, Catalans coach Steve McNamara said Napa had been playing well up until his send-off.
“I thought he put himself about a lot, his physical presence has obviously been called for (but) much too high there at the end of the game, and he’s paid the price for that,” McNamara said.
“He’ll learn a lot from it. I didn’t see it too closely, I thought initially he’d hit the ball and gone up a little bit, but I’ll have to look at it closely again.”
Mitchell Pearce was another making his debut for Catalans, and McNamara admitted the former Knights playmaker wasn’t at his best.
“I thought he was quiet tonight, the first 20-25 minutes we were OK defensively, but our attack never really got going. Plenty for him to work on.”
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