Itโs a case of โanother week, another chargeโ for Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona after he was put on report for a tackle on Mitch Moses during the Stormโs loss to the Parramatta Eels.
But according to Storm coach Craig Bellamy, itโs unlikely the towering prop would have received a charge for the incident had he and his disciplinary record not been the focus of an ongoing debate about the judiciary fines system.
Bellamy spoke on the matter during his post-game press conference, claiming the charge was barely warranted.
โIt was probably a touch late, but it wasnโt high,โ Bellamy said of the challenge.
โHis arms were around his waist, so Iโm not sure if it was placed on report because of his reputation. Iโm not quite sure.
โThere was certainly nothing around (Mosesโ) head, so it could have been a little bit late, but I donโt think there was too much more to it.
โIt has all come because of this week.โ
Asofa-Solomona has been a focal point of recent media analysis. After sustaining his fifth finable charge for the year in last weekโs game against the Sydney Roosters, some pundits pointed to the fact that he hadnโt missed a game all year as an indication of a system in need of repair.
The intense focus led NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley to declare that repeat offenders were now risking upgrades in the grading of charges if they werenโt getting the message.
โIf they thought (Asofa-Solomonaโs challenge warranted a report), why didnโt they do it halfway through the season?โ Bellamy asked.
โWhy react now, because of one story that turned into a story for three or four days on the one bloke?
โThere are a lot of other incidents that are as bad as Nelsonโs, but we decided to pick on Nelson this week, so he was the punching bag.
โI donโt think too many guys get put on report for being that late (to tackle a kicker).
โHe was nowhere near the head, his arms were around his waist.โ
