Harry Grant efficiently will get harmful contact cost overturned at judiciary

The NRL could have opened up a can of worms on the form of contact that may be made on kickers, after Harry Grant efficiently appealed to have his harmful contact cost dropped for making contact with the leg of Sharks playmaker Daniel Atkinson.

The judiciary panel, consisting of Sean Hampstead and Tony Puletua, agreed that whereas Grant’s contact on Atkinson throughout Melbourne’s loss to Cronulla was harmful, it was not careless.

“The panel have been glad that the contact was harmful, within the sense that’s carried with it an unacceptable threat of harm,” judiciary chair Geoff Bellew mentioned.

“…Nevertheless, the panel weren’t glad that the participant had acted carelessly … the panel took into consideration footage of the incident which established to its satisfaction that momentarily after the ball was kicked, the participant slowed down appreciably and adjusted his line of working.

“That conduct, within the panel’s view, was objectively inconsistent with a suggestion of carelessness, however in step with the impact of proof given by the participant, which the panel accepted, that he was endeavouring to watch out.”

The choice provides to the confusion about what constitutes harmful and careless contact on a kicker, after a spate of playmakers, together with Lachlan Ilias and Brad Schneider, have been injured from the identical form of contact, and attacking gamers have been subsequently charged.

Manly prop Josh Aloiai was given a one-match ban for making contact with the leg of Shaun Johnson in spherical six, whereas Jacob Host was handed a two-match suspension for his contact on Schneider in spherical 9.

Grant, who appeared on the judiciary through video hyperlink, acknowledged that contact had been made with Atkinson, however mentioned he was making each try to minimise the hazard of the contact.