Jaydn Su'A offered hefty ban for 'dirty' hit on Cameron Murray as Dragons sink to seventh-straight loss
Updated . First published
Jaydn Su'A has been offered a three-game suspension for his monster hit on Cameron Murray in the Dragons' 30-12 loss to the Rabbitohs on Saturday night.
With just over 10 minutes to go in the clash, Su'A looked as if he wanted to try and spark some kind of fightback when he rushed out of the Dragons line and landed a massive blow on the Rabbitohs lock.
Incredibly, Murray – who has a history of head-knocks and concussions – got straight up.
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But after only a brief consultation with the Bunker, referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski gave Su'A his marching orders. He was the first player since 2024 to be sent off.
"Not here to talk … direct contact shoulder to the head, straight off," he said.
Jaydn Su'A was sent off for this hit on Cameron Murray. FOX Sports
Unsurprisingly, the Rabbitohs fans erupted when the finger went up.
"Su'A has been cheered off by this Rabbitohs fanbase for what they see as a dirty act," Fox Sports caller Dan Ginnane said in commentary.
"Su'A trying to change the game, trying to spark the Dragons, has got a tackle horribly wrong. It's a miracle Murray got up unscathed."
He was the first player sent off since Tiger Justin Olam in Rd22 of 2024 - his last game in the NRL.
On Sunday morning, he was slapped with a grade three shoulder charge, and offered three games. He'll serve a fourth if he fights the charge at the judiciary and loses.
Su'A won't be the only Dragon facing a stint on the sidelines on a night coach Shane Flanagan would have given his left leg for a clean game and a win.
Flanagan's woes started before kick-off when Liddle suffered a suspected hamstring injury in the warm-up. He was seen getting massaged by a trainer and was shortly after ruled out.
Not long after kick-off, the Dragons found themselves trailing when Latrell Mitchell crossed in just the fifth minute.
Jacob Liddle was ruled out before kick-off with a hamstring injury. FOX Sports
But by the half-hour mark, they were in front after Cook and then Stewart both crossed.
They were then given a boost when Bunnies sub Peter Mamouzelos was sent to the bin for a hip-drop tackle on David Fale. Mamouzelos copped two seperate fines on Sunday morning - one for the Fale tackle, and another for dangerous contact on Setu Tu.
But instead of making the most of the extra player, the Dragons watched on as Alex Johnston scored for the Bunnies on the stroke of half time. Mitchell slotted the conversion to give the Rabbitohs a 16-12 lead into the sheds.
"That's a devastating blow for the Dragons - in front, extra man, and yet Souths score on the bell and then convert it as well," Ginnane quipped.
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Mamouzelos was still off the park when Matt Dufty scored on his first NRL game in 1420 days.
They were still trailing approaching the 70th minute when Su'A was sent off. With the player advantage, Mitchell scored twice in the last 10 minutes to somewhat skew the scoreboard.
Post-game, Dragons skipper Damien Cook looked lost for words.
"At half time we thought we were alright … it's hard to say where we lost," he told Fox Sports after the game.
"There's a lot of effort there, we've just got to keep working hard at training and keep turning up."
He said he could see what Su'A was doing, but just "got it wrong".
"I could see what he was trying to do … maybe force an error and make something happen," he said.
"That's what happens when you're in a position like this when you haven't won games, the pressure builds and sometimes we go out of our systems and do the wrong things."
Cook was then asked directly if he thought the club would stick with Flanagan.
"I think they will, I really do. All we can do is keep turning up on Monday and trying to improve," he said.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan cut a dejected figure after his side's loss to the Rabbitohs. FOX Sports
"The attitude of these boys is good. We're not getting the results at the moment, but I can say through the week we're doing the right thing.
"We've just got to keep doing that, and hopefully for our members and fans and for us as well we can turn this around."
Elsewhere, Latrell Mitchell crossed for four tries, with Johnston and Dufty scoring the other two. Mitchell had a wayward night with the boot though, kicking just two from six, plus a penalty goal.
The Bunnies will face the Storm next weekend, while the Dragons face the Roosters.
