“Sam Verrills of the Roosters shouldn’t be in trouble for success on Titans” Brian Kelly, says Andrew Johns

Misan Eylül 12, 2021

Andrew Johns believes Roosters hooker Sam Verrills has no chance of being free to play in next week’s semi-final given the precedence established by the recent match review and court decisions.

But rugby league Immortal says Verrills, who was penalized and flagged for a high shot on Gold Coast center Brian Kelly during the Roosters-Titans elimination final, should have no case to answer.

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While Verrills’ first-half success left Kelly with a broken and bloody nose, Johns is even of the opinion that referee Gerard Sutton shouldn’t have awarded the Titans a penalty.

“Kelly is falling, he can’t disappear, Sam Verills is busy tackling,” Johns said of Nine.

“But, if you look at Brian Kelly, his nose is broken. And if they’re consistent … And you can compare them to other hits we’ve seen recently …

Titans center Brian Kelly leaves the pitch with a coach after being shot overhead by Roosters hooker Sam Verrills in the final knockout match. (NRL images)

“For me it’s not even a penalty. Brian Kelly’s crash, Sam Verrills tackling, unfortunately there are collisions that are about to happen.

“But, if they want to be consistent, Sam won’t play next week because they can’t change the decisions they’ve made in the past month or two.”

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Johns is one of several experts on the belief that, in evaluating Latrell Mitchell’s high shot on Joseph Manu late last month, the match review committee considered the Roosters center’s broken cheekbone.

Mitchell filed a first guilty plea and was suspended for six games, wiping the superstar full-back from the entire South Sydney Finals campaign.

Roosters hooker Sam Verrills serves a pass from half dead during the final to elimination. (NRL images)

As Johns expressed his frustrations on the Verrills-Kelly scenario, former NSW Blues manager Phil Gould weighed in.

“(This is) exactly what we said in the Latrell Mitchell matter – that it was an accident, the injury shouldn’t affect the decision,” Gould said.

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“That’s the exact same thing. Now he’s on the Roosters and they’re going to argue that Verrills couldn’t do anything about it (and) it was an accident – that it was, that it was! It’s an accident. Accidents happen; they do.”

Johns added: “But now they’ve put the line there, the judiciary.”

The Roosters are now set to meet the Sea Eagles in a knockout semi-final next week.

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