News Corey Waddell suspended for 5 weeks over "eye gouge".

[spiritofaslan]

News / Live Score Link

https://www.bulldogs.com.au/news/2022/07/25/waddell-referred-to-judiciary/

Read the entire judicary blog here: https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/07/26/judiciary-live-blog-finucane-waddell-front-tribunal/

Waddell found guilty of dangerous contact​

Author bulldogs.com.au - Tue 26 Jul 2022, 10:45 PM

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs forward Corey Waddell has been found guilty of dangerous contact and suspended five matches, as determined by a panel at tonight's NRL judiciary hearing.

Waddell entered a not-guilty plea for a dangerous contact charge involving Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, which occurred in the 23rd minute during the club's Round 19 fixture against the Gold Coast Titans last Sunday.

The Canterbury-Bankstown back-rower will next be available for the Bulldog's Round 25 home fixture against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Accor Stadium.

 

[spiritofaslan]

8:50pm: Waddell described his aim in the tackle with team-mate Max King and said at no stage did he put his fingers into Fa'asuamaleaui's eyes.
"I got into the tackle anyway I could, and I found myself in what we call the “seatbelt” tackling position," Waddell said. "I try and straighten the ball carrier so he gives up his base and loses control.
"I put my hand over Max's head and I found my hand on Tino's forehead. I didn’t apply any pressure to his face at all and then I tried to push my hips into his hips to push him back.
"With my right hand I tried to grab his jersey and shoulder. My purpose was to get him onto his back with my teammates falling on top of him.
"As I went over Max's head, I grabbed Tino’s forehead. At no stage do I apply any unnecessary or careless pressure to his face.
"As you can see as he starts to fall to the ground I release my hand. And then he grabbed my hand as he fell to the ground. At no stage were my fingers in or around his eyes."

8:58pm: Under questioning from his legal counsel, Nick Ghabar, Waddell said he didn't know why Fa'asuamaleaui had grabbed his hand.
Ghabar: At any stage did you put your fingers in his eye socket or eyelid?
Waddell: I never felt my hand in or around his eyes at all.
Ghabar: At any stage did you take your fingers across his eyes?
Waddell: No, I didn’t.
Ghabar: At any stage did you move your fingers around his eyes?
Waddell: No, I didn’t.

9:05pm: NRL prosecutor Patrick Knowles showed Waddell a still photo of the incident.

"Looking at that photograph the evidence isn’t correct because your fingers are in the eye socket, aren’t they," Knowles said to Waddell.

The Canterbury forward replied: "I believe in all honesty my fingers are across the bridge of his nose and the bottom of his forehead. You’re talking about the split of a second. My fingers were never in his eyes.
"You’re talking about the photo, you can’t tell pressure based on a photo. You’re talking about a split second within this whole second. I understand my hands aren’t in the best spot and in a perfect world they would have been but at no pressure did I put pressure in his eyes."

9:11pm: Knowles: Is this seriously your evidence? You were using your hips and your right hand to put pressure on the player but you were exerting no pressure with your left hand?
Waddell: 100 per cent.
Knowles: What you really did was leave your hand there to complete the tackle, regardless of the risk of serious injury?
Waddell: No, I don’t think I did, because my hand was there for literally one second. As I reached over Max that’s the only place I could put my hand."

9:15pm: Waddell objects to the questioning from Knowles.
"I’m sorry but the whole time - the whole tackle - I never ever had pressure in his eyes," he said.
"I never applied any careless or dangerous pressure".

Judiciary chairman Justice Geoff Bellew interjects: "You weren’t asked about pressure or injury. Do you accept or not that at one point your fingers came in contact with or across his eyes?".

Waddell replied: "No, I don’t accept that my fingers were in his eyes."

9:24pm: Knowles then asks judiciary panel members Bob Lindner and Dallas Johnson to watch a replay of the incident.
"Members of the judiciary, player Waddell is claiming that there is no pressure exerted from his right arm across the area of the face he was touching. It’s just implausible," he said.
"It barely needs to be said that the potential for damage is very serious indeed. There's a high degree of carelessness.
"He's giving evidence to protect his own position, rather than evidence of the truth off his recollection."

 

[spiritofaslan]

That's what did the damage.. poorly advised.

 

[Captain Ibis]

The still photo was always going to be damaging unfortunately, as had been suggested prior to the hearing. In saying that though it looks like the fingertips are all outside of the eye socket, or on the edge. Ahh well it is what it is I guess and it's good for some of our younger guys to get more game time.

 

[BomberBurton]

Yet ok for Tino to place Burton in a choke hold/headlock and Gagai to punch him with limited ability to defend himself.
FUCK YOU@NRL you biased gambling driven cunts!

 

[spiritofaslan]

If anything Waddell should have said "yes my hand may have been across the eye, but I never moved my fingers (back it up with video evidence), and there was no intention to gouge the eye ever during the tackle".

Instead by claiming several times he never touched the eye, he screwed himself hard.