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'I was all good': Manly star defends rival after being on receiving end of dangerous throw
By AAP
Brent Naden will spend at least a month on the sideline after the Wests Tigers centre was hit hard by the NRL for his dangerous throw on Manly’s Jake Trbojevic.
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Naden was sent off in the 30-4 capitulation at Campbelltown Stadium when he up-ended Trbojevic and put the Sea Eagles lock down on his head.
In turn, he became the first Tigers player to be sent off in 20 years, and just the third man at any club this century to be marched over a dangerous throw.
The pain has continued into Monday, with Naden slapped with a grade-three dangerous throw charge, meaning he will spend up to five matches on the sideline.
That suspension can be reduced down to four games if he takes an early guilty plea, and does not try to downgrade the charge.
The severity of the ban is in line with the one handed to Manly utility Karl Lawton earlier in the year for a similar tackle on South Sydney captain Cameron Murray.
Naden immediately apologised to Trbojevic after the match, while he also earned the sympathy of the stand-in Manly skipper.
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“I was all good,” Trbojevic insisted after the match.
“He was very apologetic. Just momentum of me trying to find the ground anyway. He was a bit unlucky.
“It didn’t hurt at all. There was no malice in it.”
The send off capped a nightmare day for Naden, who bombed a try, needed a HIA after being flattened by Haumole Olakau’atu and missed tackles in the lead up to two Sea Eagles tries.
Naden only arrived at the Tigers last month to help fill a shortage in the outside backs, with Junior Tupou or Asu Kepaoa the men most likely to fill his spot.
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Meanwhile, Melbourne have announced they will contest Felise Kaufusi’s dangerous contact charge from the weekend.
The second-rower could have walked away with a $1800 fine for an early guilty plea for an elbow to the head of Sydney Roosters youngster Sam Walker during their Saturday night win – which leaves Kaufusi free to play in State of Origin II next week.
Commentator and former great Andrew Johns was surprised by the lenient penalty.
“They’ve pretty much said he is guilty, so you elbow someone in the head and you get a fine,” Johns said on Nine.
“So $1800 – I think Felise should buy himself a lottery ticket. Very lucky there.”
But the Storm said on Monday they had lodged a not guilty plea with the NRL, the matter to be heard by the judiciary. If are unsuccessful in challenging, the fine will be increased to $2500.
