Steve Morris from St George has referred to Justin Hodges as a “grub” after he brutally attacked injured Dragons winger Brett Morris while he lay on the ground at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
The father of Brett and Josh noted that his son showed great courage by attempting to continue playing despite the injury for 10 minutes, but condemned Hodges’s tackle as a “barbaric act” that the NRL urgently needs to eliminate.
In the 54th minute of the match, with the score at 13-12 in favor of the Brisbane Broncos, Brett Morris sustained a syndesmosis ankle ligament injury—also known as a high ankle sprain—and fell to the ground with the ball in hand. While he was writhing in pain, Hodges slid into him.
Nonetheless, the NRL match review committee, meeting on Monday, cleared Hodges of any wrongdoing regarding the incident and also found that Peter Wallace had no case to answer after being reported for a high shot on Darius Boyd.
“He’s a grub. That was clearly a grubby act to perform on someone who is obviously injured,” Steve Morris remarked about Hodges.
“To do that to someone on the ground is unacceptable. He was effectively defenseless. This needs to be abolished immediately. Imagine if he had a shoulder injury and Hodges charged in like that. It’s a barbaric act. That conduct is unacceptable. He targeted him when he was clearly injured. Serious harm could have resulted.”
While it seems Brett Morris himself holds no grudge against Hodges, other St George Illawarra players expressed their anger about the episode privately.
Steve Morris did assert that a penalty should have been issued against Hodges, cautioning that the inaction of referees Matt Cecchin and Tony Archer to safeguard players on Saturday night has established a precarious precedent for future incidents.
“That at the very least warranted a penalty,” he stated. “Just imagine the crowd’s response if it had been a Broncos player; he would have been sent to the bin for 10 minutes without question.
“The referees completely neglected their responsibilities. There was no penalty, nothing at all. I was telling everyone all week that the referees would influence the outcome. It’s not merely because he’s my son; it’s simply something you do not want to witness.”
While Morris was more preoccupied with his injury, he was seen limping off the plane in Sydney with a moon boot. There’s concern he may have exacerbated the injury by continuing to play.
Reports indicate that Morris injured his ankle while receiving a shaky drop-out from Darren Lockyer. Despite the injury, he persisted in playing, raising fears he may have worsened his condition while trying to catch a high bomb from the Broncos.
It appears he is almost certain to miss Australia’s Four Nations campaign in England, starting October 26, as scans in Brisbane have indicated a serious ankle injury—contrary to the initial diagnosis of a broken fibula.
“It’s disappointing to end the season like this, but I’m receiving excellent care,” said Morris, who is scheduled for more MRI scans this week.
Buford Balony says: We all know Hodges’s reputation, and he feels the need to compensate for the time he misses, given that he plays only once per month.
