KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Rugby League chairman Andrew Chalmers today accused the British Rugby Football League of ignoring player welfare after it failed to take any action against Great Britain prop Adrian Morley over a high tackle.
The tackle on Awen Guttenbeil occurred while Morley was playing for the Northern Union in their 25-18 loss on Sunday to the All Golds team based around a core of Kiwi players who now go on to play a three-test series against Great Britain, and one against France.
Morley was put on report by referee Ashley Klein but he escaped any penalty when a three-man panel convened by the RFL decided not to refer his case to a judicial hearing.
Chalmers asked if Morley, with his poor disciplinary record, now had "carte blanche to go around aiming as high as he likes throughout this series? You'd have to think so."
Chalmers said he had aired his views with the RFL but had no confidence it would review its stance on Morley.
"They have no concept of what is right and proper. After all, they see nothing wrong in allowing a maniac like Morley to operate with a search and destroy mentality."
NZRL board member and former test referee Neville Kesha was on the RFL panel but was outvoted by two British members.
"It's a disgrace. There were two tackles in that match which would have incurred suspensions in the NRL, one on Awen Guttenbeil and the other on Nigel Vagana," Chalmers said.
"The one on Nigel wasn't even put forward for consideration and Morley's effort was pushed under the carpet despite Neville believing it was serious enough to warrant a suspension of between four and six weeks.
"It's clear the RFL has little interest in player health and welfare if it allows such tackles to go unpunished."
Chalmers said he was furious a player with a judicial record as poor as Morley's should escape.
He was a repeat offender in his time in Australia's National Rugby League and had a history of offending throughout his career in England, he said.
The Kiwis have just come out of a test match where Steve Matai was ordered off and then suspended for two games for a tackle on Australian Mark Gasnier.
"There were no questions asked - he was sent off and then handed a ban as well," Chalmers said.
"Now the Kiwis come to the United Kingdom and a player with a dreadful record for high tackles gets away unpunished.
"This decision should be reviewed whatever the regulations are. The judicial system in place in this country is laughable if this is the way it works.
"Someone should have to answer for this. Morley should not be able to play in the first test against the Kiwis on Saturday (Sunday NZ time) and there would be an argument that he shouldn't be able to appear in the next two tests either."
- NZPA
