Newcastle will face the Sydney Roosters in next weekend's grand final after overcoming Penrith in a preliminary final.
The Knights were trailing when hooker Phoenix Crossland was sent off before halftime for a hip-drop tackle on Nathan Cleary. Cleary's injury ended his day, and the article said the tackle caused it.
Cleary's season and World Cup were considered over, with the hope he would recover in time for Round 1 next year.
The article argued that the seriousness of Cleary's injury did not automatically justify a red card. It said Crossland's tackle was not among the worst hip drops by its action, though the injury's severity made comparisons difficult.
Crossland deserved a ten-minute sin bin, the article said, and was unlikely to play in the grand final or New Zealand's early World Cup matches. But sending him off left the Knights with 12 players and departed from precedent.
The article added that applying a tougher standard could help remove hip drops from the game, but questioned introducing it during a preliminary final.
Despite the setback, Newcastle produced a strong second half to beat the Panthers, who were eliminated in preliminary finals for the second consecutive year.