Crossland banned for grand final after Knights star accepts fate
Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland will miss the NRL grand final after entering a guilty plea ahead of his judiciary hearing on Tuesday night.
Crossland has pleaded guilty, according to AAP journalist Scott Bailey, over the hip-drop tackle that resulted in a horror leg injury for Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary during Sunday’s preliminary final.
Nathan Cleary of the Panthers is tackled by Phoenix Crossland of the Knights. Getty Images
Crossland’s guilty plea means he will definitely cop a suspension, and the judiciary must now simply decide how many games he will miss.
His only chance was to plead not guilty to the dangerous contact charge and try to argue his way out of a suspension.
Crossland was referred straight to the judiciary for the tackle which resulted in a compound fracture and dislocation for Cleary, who now faces a months-long recovery period after undergoing emergency surgery.
The in-form Kiwi rake reportedly contacted Cleary on Monday to apologise and wish him well in his recovery, while Cleary later called out trolls for abusing Crossland on social media.
Crossland was sent off by referee Gerard Sutton for the tackle, leaving Newcastle a man down for most of the game against the four-time premiers.
But the Knights somehow pulled off a miracle win, holding Penrith scoreless for the entire second half to qualify for their first NRL grand final since 2001.
There has been plenty of debate as to whether Crossland should have been sent off or not.
“Not all season has anyone been sent off for that offence,” Phil Gould said on Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night.
“Everyone has either been sin-binned or put on report.
“I know it was Nathan Cleary and he’s our game’s No.1 player, and it was a horrible injury, but all year it was not a send-off offence.”
Teams for the grand final will be named at 4pm on Tuesday, with the Knights now needing to find a new hooker for the title decider.
