Dom Young banned from NRL after disgusting high shot enrages opposition fans

NRL Fans are divided after the match report committee handed Dominic Young a two-week ban for his disgusting high shot on Blake Taafe. The Bulldogs stopped a Roosters comeback to win 30-26 in pouring rain on Friday night.

Roosters fans were furious with their team as Young became the first player in 2024 to be sent off after catching Taafe high as he charged out of the line. To make matters worse for the Roosters, Victor Radley was also sent to sin. With eight minutes to go, he had to go to the penalty box for a controversial hip-drop tackle.

Dominic Young was suspended for two weeks for his disgusting high shot against Blake Taafe. (Images: Getty Images/Fox Sports)

And on Saturday morning, Radley was not penalised for his hip-drop tackle. However, Young was given a two-week suspension for the ugly shot. It remains to be seen whether Young and the Roosters will appeal the two-week suspension. And the NRL world has weighed in on the two-week suspension, with many feeling it was too lenient.

Taafe was knocked unconscious by the ugly tackle and will miss the next game due to the 11-day HIA protocol. Young certainly fended off a number of angry Bulldogs players who had realised his high shot would see him spend some time on the bench.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson, however, did not believe the challenge warranted an outright sending off. “If that’s the standard, that’s fine, but for me that’s new,” he said. “I think that’s lower than what’s been sent off before. It just feels like we can set a new standard here again.”

“We’ve had guys who haven’t even scored 10 points for less. I think that was a bit excessive. If that’s the case, there will be a lot more sending offs in our game, yes, there should be.” However, many NRL fans saw it differently. Many were baffled that the winger only received a minimum two-week suspension for negligently knocking out Taafe. Others believe the Match Review Committee got the punishment just right.

2 games for Dom Young’s punch against Taffe that knocked him out.

For me it’s at least 4 weeks, regardless of whether there is a clean slate or not. #NRL #NRLBuldogsRoosters

– NathTriff (@Nathan214144) 6 April 2024

2 games doesn’t seem like enough to knock someone out. Radley doesn’t deserve anything.

— Scott Wilson (@TweetyLaRoo) 5 April 2024

Two weeks is a bargain for Dom. A head high that puts a player out of action should last six weeks if the NRL is serious about protecting the head.

– Andrew Bluetick (@Andrewyeahnah) 6 April 2024

Victor Radley escapes ban after controversial hip-drop incident

One of the biggest topics of conversation in the game was Radley’s 10 minutes in the bin. In the 72nd minute, with the score at 30-20, Stephen Crichton attempted to break the line when Connor Watson managed to grab him by the legs. As Crichton attempted to break the tackle, Radley lunged across the body and onto Crichton. The centre spun around and collapsed under the weight of the tackle.

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NRL greats Cooper Cronk and James Graham felt the penalty box was harsh on Radley. The former Roosters halfback branded the decision “baffling” while Graham said it was a “bizarre” decision. And Roosters coach Robinson lashed out at the decision, which effectively ended any chance of a comeback.

“Connor is the one who tackles him from behind and twists his ankle, and then he (Radley) falls on his ankle. How they came to that decision is unbelievable. That was subpar,” Robinson said in a heated post-game press conference. And even Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo called the penalty box decision “pretty harsh.”

However, the Match Review Committee has not imposed any further penalty on Radley as the forward is fit to play next week. Unfortunately, the Roosters will be without James Tedesco after their captain left the game due to a severe concussion.