Manly prop banned for four games to ‘send a clear message’ on hip drops

Source : ABC NEWS

Manly prop Toafofoa Sipley has been banned for four games for a hip-drop tackle that broke the leg of Dragons winger Mathew Feagai.

Sipley was referred straight to the judiciary after Thursday’s 20-18 loss at Brookvale Oval for the tackle that left Feagai needing surgery on a broken fibula and a syndesmosis ankle injury.

Sipley pleaded guilty to his dangerous contact charge, with the judiciary reducing his suspension from five to four games as a result, meaning he will miss clashes with the Panthers, Sharks, Cowboys and Eels.

The judiciary panel accepted Sipley’s explanation that he was knocked off balance by running into Feagai’s shoulder at the start of the tackle but they were unanimous in their decision.

“The panel were prepared to accept that the player was, to use a neutral term, ‘stunned’ by the contact but did not consider that the evidence was sufficient to support a conclusion that he was affected to the point where he had lost control of his faculties, although they certainly did not consider that the player’s actions were intentional,” judiciary chair Geoff Bellew said.

“The panel considered it necessary to send a clear message to all players that dangerous contact of this kind will, if established, meet with significant penalties.”

Bellew said the style of tackle, where defenders drop their weight to try to drag ball-runners to ground, carried “significant risk of injury and in this case, that risk materialised”.

Sipley said after the hearing that he had reached out to apologise to Feagai.

“Obviously you can see that they are trying to take the hip drop tackle out of the game, so I guess it is just one of those cases where it is what it is,” Sipley said.

“I do feel [sorry] for injuring Mat, I did send out a message to him, and I will just do the four weeks.”

Sipley’s team suggested a three-week ban based on an Elliott Whitehead tackle from last year that left Brandon Smith with a torn ACL last year, but the panel said the fact that another serious injury had occurred meant a bigger punishment was warranted.

“Given that it is now season 2025, the panel took the view that the only available conclusion was that penalties such as those imposed on player Whitehead were not acting as a sufficient deterrent,” Bellew said.