Sydney Roosters head coach Trent Robinson believes Parramatta Eels' winger Bailey Simonsson should have been sent off for his shot on James Tedesco during Thursday night's Round 5 opener.
Simonsson found himself in the sin bin for ten minutes, but able to return for the remainder of the game despite the tackle, which put Tedesco out of the game due to a failed HIA.
The Sydney Roosters, New South Wales Blues and Australian Kangaroos captain failing the HIA means he will automatically miss next week's clash against the Melbourne Storm under the NRL's new 11-day rule for all concussion cases.
Tedesco, who has now suffered a staggering eight career concussions, will likely not be rushed back by the Roosters, and he could also miss the following game for the club against the Cronulla Sharks in 15 days time.
The Roosters are known for their slow and safe approach to treating head injuries, and Tedesco's will be no different.
Despite that, Robinson revealed in the post-game press conference that he was "ropeable" at Simonsson being allowed to return to the game after serving his ten minutes on the sideline.
“I was expecting a send-off,” Robinson said.
“To be honest I was ropeable at the time that it wasn't a send-off, and then I looked at it after the game and I was a bit more 50-50 when I took some time to have a look at it.”
The tackle saw Simonsson make direct shoulder to jaw contact on Tedesco, and he has since been charged with a Grade 3 careless high tackle that will see him spend two weeks on the sideline with an early guilty plea.
Either Joseph Manu or Joseph Suaalii will now be picked in the number one jumper for the Roosters next week as they prepare to tackle the Storm in a blockbuster encounter.
