Billy Smith, Jack Gosiewski offered bans from Roosters' 'monumental upset' at Brisbane
Updated . First published
The Roosters look set to be without Billy Smith and the Broncos without Jack Gosiewski after both were offered one-week bans following a brutal first half of their clash at Suncorp Stadium.
Smith and Gosiewski were two of five players put on report as the Roosters claimed an upset 26-16 win.
Smith went from hero to villain in the first half. He scored the first try and then found himself binned for a high tackle on Reece Walsh in the 19th minute.
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Smith whacked Walsh in the head in an attempt to bring him down, and then hit him again high as he landed on the ground.
Roosters skipper James Tedesco attempted to plea with referee Peter Gough to not send his teammate to the sin bin, but his requests were ignored.
Billy Smith's hit on Reece Walsh. Getty
"That's just unacceptable," Gough told Tedesco of Smith's tackle attempt.
"In the first contact or the second contact, he is still going to the sin bin."
After the Broncos scored back-to-back tries, Gosiewski was sent for his own 10-minute spell for a high shot on Victor Radley.
Initially unpunished due to quick movement in the play, he was sent to the bin at the end of the following set. The delay meant there was also no penalty.
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Jack Gosiewski's hit on Victor Radley. Nine
"An unusual situation," Peter Psaltis said on Nine.
On Saturday morning, both Smith and Gosiewski were hit with identical grade two careless high tackle charges and offered a week. They'll cop a second if they fight the charge and lose.
Only minutes after Gosiewski left the field, Angus Crichton was put for a whack to Adam Reynolds' throat as he charged down the middle in an attempt to break through the line.
"If he kept running, Reynolds wouldn't have caught him. But he turned around and ran at Reynolds and assaulted him," Phil Gould said.
Angus Crichton collects Adam Reynolds high. Nine
Kotoni Staggs was next to have his name taken down when for a stray elbow that found Sandon Smith's head in a dual for the ball.
Spencer Leniu ran into the tackle and collected Staggs high but both players managed to escape the sin bin with just a report to Staggs courtesy of Reynolds' effective plea.
'How do you let that but not that one?" Adam Reynolds, who was citing Crichton's tackle, was heard asking.
"He's just saved his player from the sin bin," Gould said of Reynolds, who was still pushing his case with the referee.
Gough put the foot down ahead of the break as he informed Tedesco that he needed to "control (his) players otherwise I will step in and control them for you".
Crichton and Staggs were also given identical grade one dangerous contact charges, but escaped with only $1800 fines.
The warning was heard clear by the Roosters but was not enough to rattle the mindset of Smith, who powered over to score his second.
Crichton followed his teammate to extend the visitors lead to six points, though Jesse Arthars did narrow the margin with a sensational diving effort out wide.
Connor Watson was the fifth and final player to be put on report in the clash, but escaped sanction from the MRC despite his high shot on Jesse Arthars having ended the Broncos winger's night.
Nat Butcher ran away with the ball to secure the win for the Roosters as he burrowed his way into goal to score and seal the result at 26-16 which Phil Gould at one stage describing it as a "monumental upset".
From the earlier game, Brock Gray was also offered a one-game ban on a grade two careless high tackle charge for a shot on Jack De Belin. It was the second time Gray had been put on report - he was also fined for a crusher tackle on Christian Tuipulotu.
