Penrith forward Scott Sorensen is facing between two and three weeks on the sidelines after being cited for a shoulder charge by the NRL’s Match Review Committee.
And it’s prompted rugby league legend Andrew Johns to call for the NRL to explain what it expects Sorensen to do in such a situation, as he labelled the potential suspension “farcical”.
It comes as the NRL deals with major fallout from fans over a spike in sin binnings and intervention from The Bunker over high tackles, some of which appear innocuous at best.
Sorensen was sin binned by referee Belinda Sharpe after consultation with The Bunker following a shoulder charge on Nathan Brown in Penrith’s 26-10 loss to Manly last night.
He will miss two weeks with an early guilty plea but will be outed for three if he fights the charge and loses at the judiciary.
“The breakdown of this sending players to the bin is absolutely farcical. It’s gone beyond a joke. It is embarrassing,” Johns told Channel Nine.
“The Bunker should be used only for try-scoring opportunities unless it’s a send-off. It’s an out-and-out send-off and they miss it, then fair enough, come in and send the player off.
“If Scott Sorensen goes low on Nathan Brown, he’s gonna knock himself [out] cold as a spud.
“And if not, do some serious damage to his neck. I have no idea what the NRL want this tackle to be and I think they have to come out tomorrow with this and explain what tackle they want to be in this situation. For that to get two weeks is absolute farcical.”
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.