LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
The Warriors have faced another setback in their challenging NRL season, as back-rower Jacob Laban has been confirmed to have a broken leg following an illegal tackle by Felise Kaufusi from the Dolphins. Kaufusi received a two-game suspension after the match review committee charged him with grade two dangerous contact for coming in as the third man and targeting Laban's legs during the tackle.
The Warriors are reportedly "fuming" over this grading and suspension, especially given Laban's injury will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. The Auckland club has urged the NRL to amend their judiciary process to consider the severity of player injuries when determining suspensions.
Laban suffered significant pain after Kaufusi's low hit during the second half of a tense match, which ended in a narrow defeat for the Warriors. Kaufusi was sin-binned for his actions. At the time of the tackle, Laban was already engaged with two other Dolphins defenders when Kaufusi targeted his legs, causing an awkward twist that resulted in Laban's injury.
After being assisted off the field by medical staff, Laban was unable to continue, and Jamayne Isaako later secured a 20-18 victory for the Dolphins with a late try. The injury adds to the Warriors' ongoing woes, as they are already missing several key players, including Mitch Barnett, Luke Metcalf, Rocco Berry, and James Fisher-Harris, which has severely impacted their top-four aspirations.
According to Code Sports, Warriors officials are outraged that the match review committee did not upgrade Kaufusi's charge after learning about Laban's injury severity. The NRL maintains that the basis for charges revolves around the potential 'risk of injury' rather than the actual 'outcome of injury'.
The Warriors are disappointed that Kaufusi's charge was finalized before they received confirmation of Laban's broken leg, raising concerns about the NRL's failure to adopt a new rule from the ARL Commission. This rule could have allowed for more significant suspension due to the injury outcome. The ARLC has recently empowered itself to upgrade or downgrade charges and deliver new sanctions for on-field incidents, and the Warriors believe that Kaufusi's punishment does not adequately reflect the damage inflicted on their player.