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SYDNEY - A leading cardiologist has warned the NRL it is only a matter of time before a player dies as the result of a grapple tackle following a landmark night at the NRL judiciary last night.
South Sydney called in Dr Chris Semsarin as an expert witness in what was ultimately an unsuccessful bid to clear second rower David Fa'alogo of a striking charge.
Fa'alogo will miss seven matches after having his case thrown out while earlier in the night Sonny Bill Williams had his striking charge downgraded, the Bulldogs star to miss just this weekend's qualifying final against North Queensland in Townsville.
Fa'alogo's defence for his king hit on Sydney Roosters pivot Braith Anasta was based on the fact he had suffered acute brain hypoxia as a result of a grapple tackle in the lead-up.
It was argued Fa'alogo was left short of breath due to the compression of Anasta's arm around his throat and as a result did not know what he was doing when he hit the Roosters No 6.
Semsarin said he filed a report after attending Saturday night's clash between the Rabbitohs and Roosters with his son.
"My main concern is that this is going to end up with somebody dying before something is done about it, that was the motivation for me," said Semsarin, a leading cardiologist at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
"This weak word of grapple is hopeless and it really needs to be replaced by words like strangulation, asphyxiation, suffocation, choking because they're the real medical terms that describe when someone puts their hand around someone's neck."
Souths chief executive Shane Richardson conceded he understood why the judiciary panel of Royce Ayliffe, Bob Lindner and Darrell Williams found Fa'alogo guilty, the image of a player punching another not one the NRL would want to promote.
"I'm not trying to justify what (Fa'alogo) did because our argument wasn't that it was a retaliation, it was that he was completely disorientated from it," Richardson said.
"What we've got to do is get out of the game grabbing people around the necks."
Following the handing down of the sentence, judiciary chairman Greg Woods said he would pass on the recommendations from Semsarin's report to NRL boss David Gallop.
Fa'alogo did not speak after the hearing and will now miss the Rabbitohs first finals campaign since 1989.
The suspension also rules him out of contention for the New Zealand side for the end of season Test against Australia and has left his berth on the Kiwi tour of the northern hemisphere in October in doubt.
Williams will be free to play for the Kiwis and for the Bulldogs if they win this weekend's game against the Cowboys or don't finish as one of two of the lowest ranked losers from the qualifying finals.
He was successful in gaining a downgrade on his grade two striking charge following his late and high tackle on Cowboys skipper Johnathan Thurston on Friday night.
Williams claimed that his forearm hit Thurston on the shoulder before coming in contact with the Test halfback's jaw.
"I'm really stoked with the outcome, I'm pumped actually," Williams said afterwards.
"I wish the boys all the best this week and I'll be raring to go next week.
"This time of the year you don't want to be missing too many games so we decided to run the gauntlet and we came up trumps."
Williams, who was represented by former judiciary chairman Jim Hall, was adamant that the force with which he came in contact with Thurston's head was minimal.
During the hearing, Williams admitted the tackle was reckless, but also claimed he tried to pull out of making full impact when he realised that Thurston had already kicked the ball.
"I didn't go in to the tackle to hurt him," Williams said during the hearing.
"If I'd hit him flush, I'm pretty sure I would have knocked him out or broken his jaw.
- AAP
