Wayne Bennett knocks down Felise Kaufusi after Dolphins win – but not for shocking hit on Hastings
Angry Wayne Bennett warns Dolphins enforcer to ‘stay away from me for a few days’ – but NOT because of a savage hit that could see him suspended for a month
- Dolphin veteran Felise Kaufusi has to reduce his aggression
- Follows a late hit on Knights halfback Jackson Hastings
- Will be sidelined for the next three games following a Group Two attack
- Coach Wayne Bennett wants Kaufusi to have better hands
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has warned Felise Kaufusi to “stay away from me for a few days,” but that has nothing to do with the enforcer’s late goal on Knights halfback Jackson Hastings.
Kaufusi, 30, was also guilty of a number of handling errors in his team’s 36-20 win – and they didn’t go unnoticed by the NRL supercoach.
‘I’m more concerned about his [Kaufusi’s] three lost balls than anything else,” Bennett said at Friday night’s post-match press conference.
‘He shouldn’t be [happy with his game]. He [might] want to stay away from me for a few days.
“I have no doubt he won’t be pleased to see my face.”
Dolphin coach Wayne Bennett has warned Felise Kaufusi to ‘stay away from me for a few days’
It follows an eventful game by Kaufusi against the Knights on Friday in which he was put on report twice and thrown into sin
Bennett was more concerned about Kaufusi’s multiple handling errors, as opposed to his late hit on Jackson Hastings, which is likely to see him suspended for three NRL matches
Kaufusi faces a minimum three-game suspension following a second-degree charge of dangerous contact with Hastings.
With an early plea of guilty, Kaufusi will still face a three-game suspension as it is his third offense.
He will be sidelined for four weeks if he contests the charges and is found guilty by the NRL’s judicial panel.
The late goal on Hastings came in the 70th minute – and saw the backrower sin at McDonald Jones Stadium.
It is almost certain that Kaufusi will miss next Friday’s blockbuster against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, marking a huge blow to the league leaders, who are undefeated after three rounds.
He has been an instant cult hero to many Dolphins fans after the blunt hits on Rooster’s hooker Brandon Smith and Raider’s hard man Hudson Young in the first two rounds of the season.
The Queensland State of Origin star joined Brisbane-based club the Melbourne Storm, winning premierships in 2017 and 2020.