Cam Smith is toast

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I maintain that was one of the worst tackles I have seen in a while.

To Thadays credit he just got up and joined in the biff. If that had happened to Menzies, I reckon I would have jumped on the field and thrown punches too!

It was made worse by Jeremy Smith going the half nelson on his arm at the same time, combine the two and that was a horrible tackle.

1 week minimum but deserves 2 or more, low low act and like I said, if that had happened to one of our players, we would be baying for bloods
 
I still can't beleive Crocker stayed on the park, the distance he ran to join in !!!

Thinking back immediately to BK, who saw Robertson on the end of a really bad spear tackle, races in to get Buderus off him, and then gets marched to the bin by Hampstead
 
No doubt it's a grapple, but don't hold your breath about a suspension.  It will all be put down to having "weak shoulders" just like Thurston this time last year.
 
After that incident Hayne was cautioning Smith about grapple tackles and said something like 'any more contact with head in tackles...' and smith asked him do you mean first contact or second contact? Hayne said 'both'. makes it clear he knows exactly what they are up to in relation to the rules, and was already scheming a way out of trouble.

I agree the nrl won't have the bottle to suspend him for 2 weeks.
 
This morning papers has apologists for Smith saying 'you can't take the school captain out of the game'.  What a crock.  Given the idiocy of Gallop and his minions, anything goes in the game so long as it's helpful to News Ltd.  The radio coverage of the world cup is a prime example.  To get Hadley onside to News Ltd, the NRL accepts a lower tender for the radio rights.  The guys a complete joke.
 
If is was Mattai who made the tackle on thaiday then he would be looking at at last 6 weeks on the sideline. 

Technicality Smith's only finals hope
By Steve Jancetic and Laine Clark
AAP

It appears only a technicality can save Cameron Smith's NRL season with the Melbourne skipper almost certain to be charged by the NRL match review committee.

While Smith thought he had little to worry about over his role in the 60th minute tackle on Brisbane forward Sam Thaiday in Saturday night's gripping semi-final win, influential figures within the game thought differently.

Former Test halfback Peter Sterling said there was little doubt Smith would be charged with a grapple tackle for pulling awkwardly at the head of Thaiday, a grade one charge enough to wipe the Test No.9 out for two matches.

"I don't know if technically it is a grapple tackle, but it's certainly attacking the head or neck of the opponent and he's in serious trouble," Sterling told the Nine Network.

"There is nothing good that is going to come out of that kind of tackle."

A charge would not only rule Smith out of Friday night's preliminary final against Cronulla but also rub him out of the grand final should the Storm progress.

That's because Smith was already forced to take an early guilty plea for a grapple tackle on New Zealand Warriors centre Brent Tate in round one this year.

Not only did it leave Smith with 93 carry-over points hanging over his head, but it also means any similar charge will carry a 50 per cent loading.

"I don't think there was any intent involved and I didn't try and twist or choke him or anything like that," Smith said.

"It's getting close to grand final time and I guess the team will be waiting on a decision.

"They've looked at tackles like this all year and made their decision ... it's out of our hands."

Smith's only hope would appear to be the match review committee not deeming the incident a grapple tackle but rather a striking or high tackle charge, which would result in no loading to the charge.

The tackle was not in the traditional realm of the grapple tackle when players are placed in a headlock by a defender.

But it appears a forlorn hope, with the contrary conduct charge covering any unnecessary conduct with the head or neck.

Earlier this year Gold Coast pivot Mat Rogers was banned for one game when he performed a similar face pulling tackle on Melbourne winger Steve Turner.

Storm halfback Cooper Cronk did his best to downplay the incident, which could also see Kiwi Test forward Jeremy Smith charged with a `chicken wing' tackle for grabbing at Thaiday's arm.

"(Cameron Smith) is very important to what we do but I didn't think there was too much in it, he didn't get stuck in aggressively or too much," Cronk said.

"I don't think we will be losing him.

"But we've played games without Smithy before with Origin and stuff like that, we've got a lot of depth."

If Smith is ruled out, Storm coach Craig Bellamy would likely turn to veteran utility Matt Geyer to fill the dummy half role, while former Cronulla halfback Russell Aitken would also come into calculations.

Geyer played in the No.9 in two of the three games Smith missed due to Origin commitments this year - the only Storm matches that Smith missed this season.
 
I love it that Melbourne are saying that there is no problem with the tackle but they have already booked Geoff Bellew to represent Smith on Wednesday night at the judiciary.  I hope it is disruptive with the weekly preparation.
 
Smith is a first rate dog. I actually felt sick when they won on Sat night , cause they didnt deserve it.
After his comments about Stewart after last years Final , he is officially my least favourite player ever.
 
So if this charge is a contrary conduct and the previous charge was a grapple tackle, does that mean the loading for the previous offense applies? The news article on the last page was suggesting that, is it right?
 
If he is charged with contrary conduct then he plays the loading is for similar offenses I thought
 
Cam & Jeremy Smith have been charged. Cam should get a minimum of 2 weeks whilst Jeremy should get 1 or 2. The NRL really need to some credibility back. :p
 
The defence has started:

Bellamy said that the pair were working against each other in the tackle, with Cam Smith having his left hand hooked under Thaiday's chin and trying to pull him to the ground while Jeremy Smith had hold of his arm and was pushing him backwards.

"He's got hold of his arm. He hasn't bent his arm, has he? The position he started in, it stayed in," Bellamy said of Jeremy Smith's involvement. "What do they want him to get hold of? Get hold of his head? Get hold of his balls? It … pisses me off mate.

"You've got three guys in the tackle — Dallas [Johnson] is around the legs — trying to get him on the ground, and they end up working against each other. Cameron looks like he loses a bit of balance and as he comes down he's hand ends up around the chin and as soon as he realises where he is he lets go."
 

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