Matt Lodge avoids sanction after tackle leaves luckless Brandon Smith injured again
Updated . First published
Manly forward Matt Lodge has avoided being sanctioned for a tackle which injured South Sydney recruit Brandon Smith in his long-awaited comeback game and facing another stint out.
Smith, who on Sunday was playing his first game since round 26 of last season having overcome an ACL rupture, is facing another six to eight weeks on the sidelines after re-injuring the same knee during the Rabbitohs' 30-12 defeat at Brookvale Oval.
Manly playmaker Jake Simpkin went high as Lodge tackled Smith around his lower legs from behind.
READ MORE: Heartbreak as Thompson crashes out of Wimbledon
READ MORE: Aussies tear through Windies to clinch Test series
READ MORE: 'Bigger things in life': Smith devastated by Munster tragedy
The 75th-minute tackle left Smith wincing and clutching at his leg, and the former Storm and Roosters forward was substituted off.
On Monday, the NRL announced no charges had been laid from any of Sunday's matches, meaning Lodge received neither a suspension nor a fine.
"He'll be out for up to six or eight weeks," Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett said of Smith post-match.
The Matt Lodge tackle that injured Brandon Smith. Nine
After a brief pause, the veteran coach added: "From that tackle."
Bennett said Smith had suffered a medial injury.
The referee didn't blow a penalty for the Lodge tackle.
"That's up to them [the match review committee] to make a decision now, but we're not playing with a lot of luck and we didn't get any there with that decision, either," Bennett said.
Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Asked if he thought it was a hip-drop, the 75-year-old gave a terse reply.
"Make your own opinion on it," he said.
"I'm frustrated by a lot of things right now, which is not doing me any good."
Brandon Smith of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Getty
Fans criticised Lodge for his tackle but Smith defended the big Sea Eagle on Instagram.
"So happy to be back. Wasn't how I wanted it to go back playing the game I love," Smith wrote on his Instagram story.
"Just want to make sure everyone understands Matt Lodge done [sic] nothing wrong. It was an accident.
"We are friends, and if you watch you can see nothing was wrong, so please leave him alone.
"This stuff happens all the time."
