Napa could miss rest of season after being charged for head clash
A remorseful Dylan Napa personally contacted his Queensland State of Origin teammate Andrew McCullough to apologise for the sickening head collision which threatens to rub the Roosters hardman out for the rest of the season.
Napa, 25, might only play again if the Roosters reach the grand final after the NRL match review committee dealt a savage blow to the premiership favourites’ title hopes.
As opinion over Napa’s tackling technique continued to divide the rugby league world after his impact with Brisbane’s McCullough, Napa is staring at a four-match ban which could rule him out for the remainder of the 2018 competition.
Napa contacted McCullough in the aftermath of the incident, which attracted a grade three dangerous contact charge to the head or neck of an opponent, just three months after Napa’s head clash broke the jaw of Broncos forward Korbin Sims.
Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett was irate on that occasion after Napa escaped charge, but the flame-haired enforcer will miss three weeks if he accepts an early guilty plea. The Roosters will mull their options on Monday morning before entering a plea.
It raises the possibility of Napa only being available for the grand final – should the Roosters make it that far – if Trent Robinson’s side finish in the top four and win their opening match of the finals series.
The Roosters could choose to fight the charge at the judiciary, but expose having one of their most influential figures out for the rest of the season if they lose the case and emerge triumphant from their first final.
Napa looked visibly distressed after McCullough collapsed to the ground with a heavy concussion at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night and there was only worse news to follow on Sunday.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg admonished his own match review committee earlier this year for failing to sanction Napa over the Sims hit, but there was no such leniency this time around.
Napa defended his actions on that occasion – volunteering to speak to the media just days after the incident – despite being sin binned. He was also forced to sit down for 10 minutes for his contact on McCullough.
But the repercussions could be far more significant this time around.
Broncos veteran Sam Thaiday insisted Napa had an issue with his tackling technique after twice finding himself in hot water for leading with his head.
And Roosters specialist coach and Channel Nine commentator Andrew Johns put the onus back on the match review committee.
"He’s been let down by the match review committee because if he got suspended then he goes away and changes his technique," Johns told Channel Nine's The Footy Show on Sunday.
"There’s a flaw in his technique, and if someone puts footwork late on Dylan he just launches and he loses all sight of the target. But for me, they’ve set a precedent. They haven’t charged him in round 11 [so] for me they can’t charge him for that.
He’s been let down by the match review committee because if he got suspended then he goes away and changes his technique
Andrew Johns
"[The McCullough incident] is an accident."
The Roosters will host wooden spooners Parramatta in the final round of the season and need to win to guarantee a top four finish.
Meanwhile, Broncos forward Tevita Pangai jnr will escape sanction after being slapped with a second-minute contrary conduct charge.