Slaters shoulder charge, gooone.

[Waerea-Beast!]

They're going to find him not guilty (3 ex players) on sentiment but it will be under the guise of this slight technicality that makes it not a shoulder charge.

[RoosterChick]

After watching Controversy Corner I am thinking maybe he will get off. The way Bill Harrigan sees it may well be the way the judiciary sees it too. He says that because Slater put his right arm out in front of Feki then it’s not a shoulder charge. I personally think that is crap. Also the fact that on the judiciary there is a Qld legend and one of Slaters ex teammates doesn’t seem ethical. Where is there impartial judgment when those guys are the judges.

[NorfolkStreetKid]

Billy Slater is an icon but NRL has a bigger duty to the game

By Phil Lutton

24 September 2018 — 4:24pm
It would be unbelievable if Billy Slater were to miss the NRL grand final. Unthinkable. Unlucky. Unimaginable, even, for one of the greatest players the game has seen to finish his career stranded on the sideline while his Melbourne Storm comrades campaign for another premiership.

But unfair? Not this time. Somewhere amid this deeply emotional debate lies the unescapable conclusion that the NRL match review committee cannot, if it treats its role in the game with any semblance of professionalism, allow Slater's shoulder charge on Sosaia Feki to go unpunished.
T

The critical moment: A front-on shot of Billy Slater knocking Sosaia Feki out of play with an apparent shoulder charge.
Photo: Twitter

It's desperately sad to think Slater would go out on this sort of note. The word 'tragedy' doesn't belong in sports writing, yet if there was ever an occasion to use it, this may well be the time. Caught in a moment, Slater made a split-second defensive decision that may cost him a fairytale finish.

Now he finds himself in the centre of the most-dramatic judiciary hearing the game has ever seen. The interest has been unprecedented and there has arguably never been more riding on the outcome of proceedings.

With the Storm hiring top lawyer Nick Ghabar, panel members will be hit with more angles than a Floyd Mayweather fight. They will be bamboozled by freeze-frames and precedents and similar incidents and then slam-dunked with the notion that at the conclusion, they may have to tell Slater his 318-game career in fact ended four days prior.

That freeze frame is taken AFTER Slater hits him with his shoulder, Feki is already on his way out. And the thing about Slaters arm being the first contact is rubbish too. Feki had his arm well in front of his body when Slaters am toughed him. It's like the freeze frame in fingertip touchdowns, you can make them look like anything. All the hoo haa about Slater trying to make an arms tackle is fluff. He set himself for the shoulder charge well before contact.

[Lydon]

Funny how certain people in the media are attempting to use the argument Billy’s right hand touched Feki first.

As the rule states below

“The player did not use, or attempt to use, his arms (including his hands) to tackle or otherwise take hold of the opposing player."

Regardless of whether his hands are involved, I've seen nothing that suggests to me that he was using his hands to take hold of the opposing player.

[chopstiks]

That freeze frame is taken AFTER Slater hits him with his shoulder, Feki is already on his way out. And the thing about Slaters arm being the first contact is rubbish too. Feki had his arm well in front of his body when Slaters am toughed him. It's like the freeze frame in fingertip touchdowns, you can make them look like anything. All the hoo haa about Slater trying to make an arms tackle is fluff. He set himself for the shoulder charge well before contact.

Yeah I can't believe these cats have resorted to photography, plus I think the hand might be after the heavy initial shoulder contact anyway but I'm not going to spend as much time as Paul kent on it Jesus christ. How's Feki shoulder does anyone farking care like they did with crybaby Dugan neck.

[fletch]

former Storm player Dallas Johnson is one of the 3 ex players on the judiciary panel tonight.

[RoosterFanNZ]

former Storm player Dallas Johnson is one of the 3 ex players on the judiciary panel tonight.

wonder what his decision will be...

[Tommy Smith]

former Storm player Dallas Johnson is one of the 3 ex players on the judiciary panel tonight.

Lol

They are moving the pieces in place.

He's already been let off; it just hasn't been made public yet.

[fletch]

Lol

They are moving the pieces in place.

He's already been let off; it just hasn't been made public yet.

the whole process was a sham from the beginning, he was never going to miss the GF.

[Andrew Walker]

former Storm player Dallas Johnson is one of the 3 ex players on the judiciary panel tonight.

OMFG How the fcuk can an ex team mate be allowed to preside over a hearing such as this

Corruption at its highest should he get off Who are the other two.

[Tommy Smith]

OMFG How the fcuk can an ex team mate be allowed to preside over a hearing such as this

Corruption at its highest should he get off

If I'm on trial for murder I wonder if I can get one of my best mates on the jury

Both are equally ridiculous scenarios.

Integrity my ass. If they cared about integrity they would place impartiality above all else.

[Thirteen]

Every one of these experts except rothfield have forgotten about 2 players one of them is latrell mitchell with ball in hand the best strike player in the world and the ranga who is a lazy player sometimes but not on sunday he wont be, he will be looking after SOS when they run thier big men at the kid i reckon they just might take a peek to see where the big readhead is i would if i were them.

If Naps is next to SOS then he would be out of position.

[Thirteen]

former Storm player Dallas Johnson is one of the 3 ex players on the judiciary panel tonight.

He is one of the five prospective jurors. They use 3.

[fletch]

He is one of the five prospective jurors. They use 3.

read somewhere due to scheduling conflicts he is one of the 3 that will be on the panel, guess we will find out tonight.

[Headless Chook]

It annoys me that people are swallowing the BS that's been thrown around ever since this incident occurred. Lets go through them:

1. Billy - I thought he was going to step back inside and that's why I made contact with my shoulder.
If Billy seriously thought Feki was going to step off his left foot and come back inside, why was he sprinting across as fast as possible? If he truly expected Feki to come back inside he would have slowed down slightly approaching contact to avoid being wrong footed and been able to wrap his arms around the player and effect a legal tackle

2. Andrew Webster - Its not a shoulder charge, its a shoulder collision
The word collision makes it sound likes this was all just an unfortunate accident. Once again its smoke and mirrors. Slater charged across field with one thought in mind - to bundle Feki into touch by any means possible and this was to him with the full force of his shoulder. Read that again. He charged across and hit him with his shoulder. This wasn't Feki stepping inside and accidentally making contact with Slater's shoulder, this was a deliberate act by Slater

3. This tackle has happened before, look at the Waqa-Blake tackle.
These two tackles were completely different. Waqa-Blake's arm actually comes across in front of the player in a wrapping manner as he his hit with the shoulder. Also, Waqa-Blake's feet actually leave the ground as he dives towards the player in an effort to knock him into touch. Slater could have made a similar style tackle if he wished, but he went all in and whilst he achieved the desired result, it's an illegal play

4. Mal Meninga/Laurie Daley/Darren Lockyer and co - I hope common sense prevails and he gets off this charge.
So common sense only comes into play when its a legend of the game about to play his last game. Where was the common sense in 2004 when Ricko missed the GF for an open handed swipe at Nathan Fien? Did Isaac Luke deserve to miss a GF for his tackle in 2014? You can't pick and choose when to apply the rules of the game.

At the end of the day I think he will get off. Not because it was a legitimate tackle but because I think the weight of public opinion and the pressure from the media will see the NRL too scared of the backlash they will cop if they suspend him. I hope he gets off and I hope we belt them into oblivion and make him wish he had been suspended.