Naden faces four-week ban for horror tackle on Trbojevic

Manly captain Jake Trbojevic argued Brent Naden’s horror spear tackle had “no malice” in it as the former grand final star became the first Tigers player to be sent off in 20 years in a nightmare introduction to NRL head coaching for Brett Kimmorley.

Naden, who made a bizarre mid-season switch from the Bulldogs last month, was marched for a second-half tackle on Trbojevic, who thankfully bounced straight back to his feet despite being driven head-first into the Campbelltown Stadium surface.

Trbojevic’s Manly teammates yelled at referee Peter Gough the tackle could have caused a broken neck as the Sea Eagles eased to a 30-4 win on Sunday in the Tigers’ first game since sacking coach Michael Maguire.

Charged with a grade-three dangerous throw by the NRL match review committee on Monday, Naden will be suspended for four matches if he accepts an early guilty plea. If he elects to contest the charge and is found guilty, he will be sidelined for five games.

Naden was the fourth player sent off this season after Newcastle’s Mitchell Barnett, Cronulla’s Will Kennedy and Manly’s Karl Lawton – and he immediately made a beeline for Trbojevic in the sheds after full-time.

“He was very apologetic,” Trbojevic said. “He was a bit unlucky and he was very sorry. I was just happy we got a penalty to be honest. It didn’t hurt at all. There was no malice in it.”

Naden had earlier been taken from the field for a concussion test after reeling out of a first-half tackle on Manly wrecking ball Haumole Olakau’atu, who bagged a crucial second-half try and tormented the Tigers’ defence all day.

Surprisingly, Naden returned to the field after half-time, but was partly culpable for two tries down his channel before the 65th-minute moment of madness.

Asked what he had been told by the medical staff at half-time, Tigers’ caretaker boss Kimmorley said: “That he’d passed his HIA and was able to go on the field.”

The NRL match review committee will hand down their findings into Naden’s tackle on Monday morning.

Kimmorley was on course for a first-up win as an NRL head coach after trailing by only two points at half-time despite his side running into a stiff breeze - and they could have led if Naden didn’t fumble the ball over the line in a bid for the first points.

But they couldn’t make an impression after the break, and surrendered any chance of doing so once Naden lifted Trbojevic with the visitors leading 16-4.

“Our priority is to make sure we stay together,” Kimmorley said. “We’re in a really difficult time as a club. We’re not going to make decisions quickly, and we’re not going to be one of the top sides straight away. There’s no quick fix in this, unfortunately. We haven’t won a second half all year on the scoreboard.

“The fight I’m in now and the challenge it is, I enjoyed today. That’s a weird thing to say getting your arse smacked, but I enjoyed the opportunity to be an NRL head coach.”

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The grass has never been so green for ex-Tiger Josh Aloiai, who was told 18 months ago he would be mowing the lawns at Leichhardt and Campbelltown over a contract dispute. He didn’t, and came back to score a double against his old club with rookie centre Tolutau Koula scoring his first NRL try, a scorching 50-metre solo effort.

“It was probably one of our better wins this year,” Manly coach Des Hasler said. “It was a tough game and it was always going to be a tough game. They came really committed and they’re a good football defensively, and Madge [Maguire] has done a really good job with them there.”

MANLY SEA EAGLES 30 (Josh Aloiai 2, Reuben Garrick, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolutau Koula tries; Garrick 5 goals) defeated WESTS TIGERS 4 (Luke Garner try) at Campbelltown Stadium. Referee: Peter Gough.

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