Tigers outside back Tommy Talau’s post-match clash with former teammate Jackson Hastings has been labelled “the most appalling sportsmanship” by veteran rugby league report Phil Rothfield.
Hastings caught the 22-year-old’s face in the 37th minute of the Knights 14-12 victory, breaking his nose. The young gun failed his HIA and was unable to return to the field.
Hastings attempted to apologise to Talau after the match only for it to result in an angry confrontation in front of the Fox League camera.
According to Rothfield, the Knights playmaker was shocked by the reaction of his former teammate.
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Talau and Hastings spent time rehabbing their respective injuries together last season, with the centre missing majority of the club’s 2022 campaign with an ACL injury.
“I was told today that when he came back for the trials, Jackson Hastings sent him (Talau) a text message and said ‘good on you mate, you did it tough last year, welcome back to the NRL, this is where you belong’,” Rothfield said on NRL360.
“That’s why he was shocked by the response yesterday, there was absolutely no intent in that tackle, it was a mishap that went wrong.”
“They did rehab together, Jackson thought they were mates,” The Australian’s Brent Read added.
The NRL360 panel agreed that Talau was in the wrong but Read defended Tigers prop David Klemmer who stepped in and exchanged words with Hastings.
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Rothfield, however believed Klemmer’s action were “so out of order”.
“It was a pretty ordinary go from Tommy Talau, he went to apologise, you know the old saying, what happens on the field, stays on the field,” NRL360 co-host Paul Kent said.
“That tackle, look it was not right but we see that most weekends now, and most blokes just get on with it.”
“Kenty, it was the most appalling sportsmanship, once a game of rugby league is over and the siren goes and the players walk off,” Rothfield said.
“What happens on the field, stays on the field, but for that Klemmer, who only ran 81 metres during the game, he ran further to get involved in that than he did the whole game.
“He was so out of order getting involved.”
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“Tommy was in a stink with Jackson and Dave has come in to help his mate out, isn’t that what you are supposed to do as a teammate?” Read argued.
“He wanted to go on with it, if that security guard hadn’t have been there,” Rothfield said.
“He only went over to apologise Ready, Talau started it, Talau is way out of order,” Kent said.
NRL360 host Braith Anasta also suggested there was bad blood between the former teammates after the “unusual” blow-up.
“The hit on Talau, it wasn’t good, but we’ve seen that… for Klemmer to come in, obviously he doesn’t like Jackson either,” Anasta said.
“To me it suggested there was an issue there with the ex-players and Jackson, I could be wrong but that was such an unusual circumstance, you don’t see it at all.”