The Paramatta Eels aren’t happy with the treatment given to Mitchell Moses as they prepare to make a formal complaint to the NRL.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the NRL side is furious over the rough methods used by Cronulla to target their halfback.
The Eels fell to the Sharks over the weekend in a narrow 18-16 win, with backrower Teig Wilton scoring the winning try in the final minutes of the game.
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However, it was Wilton’s tackle that sparked the outrage in the Eels camp after he was charged with grade two dangerous contact for taking out Moses while he was mid-air.
Wilton will miss next weekend’s game against the Dragons after the NRL match review committee gave him a one-game ban for the tackle.
During the broadcast, Dan Ginnane said: “They've been targeting Moses and this time Wilton gets his timing wrong."
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"That was ugly. Thankfully no one hurt."
This isn't the first time Moses has suffered from apparent targeting from the Sharks either.
Following a first-half Moses try, Sharks centre Jesse Ramien slid straight into Moses’ knee, resulting in a corked quad that the Eels player had to deal with for the rest of the match.
Cronulla’s head of football Mark O’Neil is now planning to take up the club’s complaint with NRL head of football Graham Annesley.
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In response to the Daily Telegraph, Mark O’Neil said: “I would prefer not to make any comment other than I will address it with the NRL through the appropriate channels.”
Others were more forthcoming with their criticisms, with NRL legend and Mitchel Moses’ uncle, Ben Elias accusing Cronulla of targetting the halfback throughout the game.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Elias said: “Those atrocities aren’t in the laws of rugby league.”
“It’s Mitch’s wellbeing you worry about. Respect must be shown that players like Mitch will be targeted but don’t cross the line, and it’s a fine line.
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“It’s obvious he’s getting all this extra attention, like the great players do. Mitchell isn’t a whinger, he’s far from a whinger, but you have to abide by the rules and protect those star players.”
Meanwhile, Rugby League legend Greg Alexander also chimed in on the conversation while on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
He said: “If they want to stamp it out, you don’t wait until someone has their legs broken or does an ACL because of the pressure from the kicker.
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“I think you need to charge – even though there was no injury to Mitch Moses – I think you need to come down heavier.
“That’s not a deterrent, Teig Wilton will sit out one week, that’s not enough of a deterrent to stop players coming in at the speed that they do where they can’t pull up.”
Topics: Cronulla Sharks, NRL
Jayden Collins