Chad Townsend shoulder charges Kalyn Ponga. Photo / Fox Sports
Chad Townsend shoulder charges Kalyn Ponga. Photo / Fox Sports
A spiteful clash between the Newcastle Knights and Cronulla Sharks went up a gear after Chad Townsend was sent off for a vicious hit on Kalyn Ponga.
Sharks coach John Morris is already anticipating a worrisome Tuesday night at the judiciary for "three cases by the look of it" after Townsend was marched and forwards Wade Graham, Tony Rudolf and Braden Hamlin-Uele all cited for dangerous tackles.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Warriors are set to face the Sharks next weekend and will be hoping to face a depleted squad - a victory would keep the club's slim playoff hopes alive.
Up 22-4 with 27 minutes to go, Knights fullback Ponga marked the ball in the in-goal before running out to the 20m line to take a tap.
Already sporting wadding up the nose to stop a nose bleed, Ponga raced out and took the tap, only for Townsend, who was set on the 30m line, to fly out and annihilate the Knights star with a huge shoulder charge.
It was a monster hit with Townsend jumping into the tackle and getting off his feet.
The crowd of 5597 were baying for blood after the hit and referee Ben Cummins agreed, calling it high, pointing the Sharks halfback to the sideline for the third send-off of the season.
"You aren't making a tackle, feet off the ground, you're off," he said. "I reckon it was pretty serious, he jumped off the ground, off the ball and he's hit him high."
Part of the explanation for the decision was that Cummins had called time off as he was about to send Ponga back to tap again.
Balmain legend and commentator Steve Roach asked: "Townsend was on the move, how could he pull out of it?"
Sharks coach Morris wasn't sure if he thought it should be a send off but admitted "it was a shoulder charge".
"I feel for Chaddy, I don't even think he's been sin binned in his career let alone sent off and he's not one to play like that but he was just trying to change the momentum of the game and shot off the line and obviously he got it wrong," Morris said.
Morris added that things "happen at a million miles" and it was a split-second decision.
The commentators still couldn't believe Townsend was punted.
"I did not see the send off coming," Russell said.
"You could put it on report and let them work it out, I don't think it's a send off."
At halftime in the second game of the night, Panthers great Greg Alexander called the whole incident "bizarre".
"It's one of the more bizarre incidents I've seen in a long time," he said. "We don't see many send offs in the game.
"He left the ground, he hit him high — now I don't know whether he did make contact with the head — but it was such a crazy moment from Chad Townsend, I was shocked when I saw it really.
"The referee had called a halt to play but Chad carried on."
