State of Origin 2024: Nate Myles involved in ugly incident with Joseph Suaalii on the sidelines after Reece Walsh hit him

Nate Myles was reprimanded on Wednesday night after the Queensland assistant coach sprayed Joseph Suaalii as he left the field following a sending off. Country of origin I. Suaalii’s debut for NSW lasted just seven minutes after he knocked out Reece Walsh in a nasty tackle and was sent off.

Walsh’s head snapped back on the impact, slamming into the ground on the way down, and the defender appeared to lose consciousness. He suffered a Category 1 concussion and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Suaalii was immediately sent off – only the sixth player in State of Origin history to suffer this fate. There were ugly scenes as he left the field, with former Maroons player and current assistant coach Myles seen shouting at Suaalii.

Myles was standing on the sidelines talking to Selwyn Cobbo, who was about to come on for Walsh. The former Maroons enforcer gave Suaalii a drink as he passed and Suaalii seemed to respond.

According to the Daily TelegraphMyles told Suaalii “enjoy your f***ing debut” three times and was given a warning by an NRL official on the sidelines for his behaviour. Interestingly, Myles played 90 games for the Sydney Roosters – the club team Suaalii now plays for. But in Queensland, the state clearly comes before the club, which may not be the same for most of NSW.

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A debate immediately erupted over whether Suaalii deserved to be sent off for his strike. Many tried to argue on social media that Walsh may have slipped and got caught in the tackle, but others pointed out that Suaalii was reckless and lacked control of his actions.

NSW Michael Maguire pointed out that Walsh suffered a broken cheekbone in an incident with Taylan May earlier this year, but May was not even sent to the penalty box. “I think he had a broken jaw earlier this year. And he was not sent off,” Maguire said.

“That was a line ball because it actually fell. And the highlight of that moment was Joey touching him a little bit. But that was a big decision in a game like that.”

Queensland coach Billy Slater declined to comment on the tackle in his press conference. “I’m keeping my feelings to myself,” Slater said.

Asked if he felt NSW were targeting Walsh, Slater said: “I have no idea but I’ll keep my opinion to myself. (Reece) seems OK now. He didn’t look so good on the field. But in the dressing room he seems fine.”

NSW teammates react to Joseph Suaalii’s departure

NSW forward Payne Haas was among those who found Walsh’s weakness. “I hope Walshy is OK, he’s my teammate at the club so I hope he’s OK,” the Broncos forward said. “(But) I feel sorry for Joey, that’s a bit harsh. We’re all behind him and I’m sure he’ll come back. I’m not sure what he’s supposed to do to retire.”

Fellow NSW player Stephen Crichton said he felt sorry for Suaalii after he tried to make a big play earlier in the game. “I tried to get to him when I got back to the middle,” Crichton told AAP. “He just got his angles and everything wrong. He wanted to go out there to make a play. Reece probably slipped a little bit too. He was on his way down.”

Whether Walsh slipped or not, Suaalii is probably under an obligation to avoid hitting him in the head. Suaalii ran off the line to land a hard hit on Walsh and eventually left his feet, bringing him down. Suaalii has since been suspended for four matches, meaning he may not play in State of Origin for a very long time.

with AAP