Adam O’Brien has hammered the NRL’s draw as “ridiculous”, accusing the game’s administrators of handicapping Newcastle after captain Kalyn Ponga sat out his side’s 20-6 loss to St George Illawarra.
And things have gone from bad to worse for the Knights in the aftermath, with prop Leo Thompson copping a hefty four-match ban for an ugly crusher tackle on Dragon Hamish Stewart.
Ponga was part of the Queensland side who lost the State of Origin series opener on Wednesday but at O’Brien’s insistence was put on ice for Friday’s loss to the Dragons.
The fullback has been carrying an ankle injury through the Maroons camp but is expected to play next Thursday’s home game against Manly.
O’Brien said he rested Ponga for his own good but claimed his side, who are sat 14th with just four wins from 12 games, had been given no favours by the NRL’s draw.
“In this battle we lost to the scheduling and the draw,” O’Brien said.
“Someone has got to play Friday … we get that but then they hit us next Thursday as well so it would have been three games in eight days (for Ponga).
“I always knew that once the draw came out we would cop the Friday after Origin, but it would have been good if someone said, give them the Saturday or the Sunday the following week.
“But whoever does the draws either hasn’t lived it or doesn’t care, so I don’t know which one it is.
“You have got teams like Canberra who haven’t had a bye yet and then you have got teams who haven’t left home in seven games in a row. It’s ridiculous.
“He was doing everything he could (to play), I took the decision away from him because it’s the right thing to do,” O’Brien said of Ponga.
“It’s the type of injury that takes a few days to settle down. Two days is not enough. He’s disappointed, a little bit angry with me but again we’ve got to protect him.”
Newcastle’s loss to the Dragons followed an encouraging win over Penrith a week earlier in Bathurst.
O’Brien’s men remain within touching distance of the top eight but they will need to go up a gear over the next month, where three of their four games are at home, if they are to make the finals.
They will be without Thompson for at least four of those matches should he accept the judiciary’s verdict on the ugly crusher tackle on Stewart that saw him penalised but not sent to the sin-bin in the second half against the Dragons.
The grade two crusher tackle charge – and it being a third and subsequent offence – was enough to trigger a five-game ban, which can be downgraded to four with an early plea.
Newcastle are hopeful of having Greg Marzhew back to face Manly next week but Bradman Best and Jacob Saifiti remain a long way from fitness.
“I think within the next month, we should get the majority of our personnel back on deck,” O’Brien said.
“You’re always concerned a little bit, but you can’t get caught up in (who is available).
“We’ve got to get caught up in playing Manly at home next week and making sure that we get that right and fixing some of our discipline.”
(with AAP)
