Bulldog Waddell denies deliberately targeting Fa'asuamaleaui with an eye-gouge

Canterbury forward Corey Waddell denies deliberately targeting Tino Fa’asuamaleaui with an eye-gouge during the Bulldogs’ win over Gold Coast.

In the lead-up to the round 19 game, Bulldogs forward Tevita Pangai Jr declared he had his sights set on Fa’asuamaleaui, who placed Canterbury’s Matt Burton in a headlock during the State of Origin III brawl.

The Bulldogs’ home crowd booed the Titans captain with every carry on Sunday in an emotionally charged game.

In the first half, Waddell was placed on report after Fa’asuamaleaui told the referee his eyes had been gouged in a tackle.

“I didn’t think my fingers were in his eyes,” Waddell said.

“In tackle technique, we try to break the player’s posture and get him down onto his back.

“Obviously my hand wasn’t in the best position. Once I realised it was on his face, I released it.”

The second-rower also denied the move was part of a ploy to exact vengeance for Fa’asuamaleaui’s Origin antics.

“It wasn’t because it was Tino,” Waddell said.

“It could have been anyone in that position there and I would have found myself in the same spot.”

Waddell said he did not believe his actions warranted suspension.

“A penalty I think is fair enough,” he said.

“(The match review committee) will have a look at the vision but they’ll see that I didn’t have my fingers in his eyes or anything like that.”

Fa’asuamaleaui said he held no ill will towards Waddell.

“That’s footy,” he said, “sometimes you don’t know where your hand is.

“I guess it just happened to be on my forehead and hit my eye but it was just accidental.”