Male coach Anthony Seibold pulls out of the NRL after controversial call that ends Sea Eagles’ season
- Warriors defeated Manly 29-22 in Auckland on Friday night
- Sea Eagles felt that Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad should have been penalized
- Warriors star tackled Reuben Garrick while the latter was in the air
Male coach Anthony Seibold ripped into the NRL after a controversial call condemned his team to a 29-22 loss to the Warriors on Friday night.
The defeat in Auckland effectively ended the Sea Eagles season, with Manly 12th on the ladder with two games remaining, as the Warriors all but secured a spot in the top four.
Seibold was left furious after Reuben Garrick hit the turf hard late in the second half while trying to get back an attempted field goal by Daly Cherry-Evans that had been downed.
Garrick jumped to catch the bouncing ball but was cleared by Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who continued after smothering Cherry-Evans’ kick.
The Manly fullback landed flat on his back and let the ball go, assuming the Warriors would be penalized.
However, the challenge was deemed legal as NRL rules state that it is not illegal to tackle a player in the air when the ball is bouncing. To make the injury worse, umpire Todd Smith penalized Garrick for knocking when he released the ball after hitting the turf.
Male coach Anthony Seibold ripped into the NRL after a controversial call condemned his team to a 29-22 loss to the Warriors
Seibold was left furious after Reuben Garrick (center) was wiped out in the air
Seibold did not hold back when asked about the incident at his post-game press conference.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said.
“He (Garrick) hurt his back. He couldn’t run.
“He gets the doctor’s attention there. We pull up every other gear and we talk about safety, but it’s safe play if it wants to, and then we get that.
“I understand the rule about the kick, but it’s a dangerous tackle.”
Seibold then predicted that the NRL would be in touch in the coming days to apologize for the mistake.
“I can’t wait to talk to someone from the NRL tomorrow. I can’t wait,” he said.
“It’s two weeks in a row that we have dud decisions. Two weeks in a row against top four teams. You need a bounce off the ball and a call to go your way.”
Cherry-Evans was also unimpressed by the call, insisting that Nicoll-Klokstad should have been penalized for a dangerous tackle.
“We all understand the rule, that is not in conflict. It’s the dangerous position (Garrick has been deployed),’ the male skipper said.
Manly’s season is effectively over after their seven-point loss in Auckland on Friday night
While the Warriors have come close to making the top four as their impressive season continues
“If that isn’t a dangerous position, I don’t know what is.”
Speaking on Fox League commentary, NRL great Michael Ennis admitted the tackle looked dangerous, but noted that Smith and the Bunker were simply following the rules.
“According to the letter of the law, it was not a kick, but a bouncing ball,” he said.
“We can discuss whether it’s dangerous or irresponsible, but it’s irrelevant – it’s not in the rule book for that.”