‘They’ve set a precedent. You’re allowed to headbutt’: Sticky fumes over Walsh call

Ricky Stuart says the NRL has set a precedent that “you’re allowed to headbutt” after both Reece Walsh and Hudson Young were sin-binned before the former returned to spark one of the greatest finals comebacks in history.

The fallout from Brisbane’s epic 94-minute, 29-28 win will centre on Walsh’s starring role and his second-half clash with Young, which landed the Broncos superstar on report for raising his head into contact after a brief slanging match.

Walsh flipped the bird to the sold-out GIO Stadium crowd on his way from the field. Canberra captain Joe Tapine was incredulous that both players were sin-binned given Young had been celebrating a dropped ball.

Stuart said the post-match focus from one of September’s most dramatic ever games should focus on just that, and not Walsh’s nervous wait for the Match Review Committee’s findings.

But the Raiders coach didn’t miss when he said the decision for Walsh to be sin-binned and not sent off was “100 per cent wrong”.

“Well, they’ve set a precedent now. You’re allowed to headbutt,” an emotionally drained Stuart said.

“If Joe or Hudson had used their head on Reece Walsh, what do you think would have happened to them?

“[But] let’s not make it about that. It was a wonderful game of football. Two very good footy teams. Some outstanding footballers out there. It was an unbelievable spectacle for rugby league.

“They got it 100 per cent wrong, but we shouldn’t make it about that because it was an unbelievable promotion of the game itself.”

Tapine said he couldn’t comprehend referee Ashley Klein’s decision to sin-bin Young for “celebrating a good play”. Broncos coach Michael Maguire questioned whether Walsh’s contact truly was a headbutt, saying “it was probably more just conversation”.

“We’ll have a look at it down the track. There is emotion out there. They were both sent for a reason, so you move on.”

The Raiders will be on a six-day turnaround into hosting Cronulla next week and they will rue coughing up a 28-12 lead when the Broncos were down to 11 men given Pat Carrigan had also been marched for a shoulder charge on Morgan Smithies.

Walsh was the star in Brisbane’s rise from the depths, returning from the sheds to score his own scything try in the 65th minute and then to set up four-pointers for Josiah Karapani and Gehamat Shibasaki.

But it all looked in vain as Canberra closed in on full-time, still leading 28-26.

As Brisbane took one last, forlorn crack at a regular-time winner, in Walsh’s long-range field goal attempt, Zac Hosking made contact with his leg as his shot sailed wide.

But with the Bunker intervening and ruling dangerous contact against the Raiders back-rower, Walsh was awarded a level-up penalty from in front.

At 28 apiece, 10 minutes of extra time was the order of the day and it was not until Ben Hunt sent a long-range field goal sailing over that Brisbane triumphed.

Brisbane will treasure the week’s rest while sweating the MRC’s findings on Walsh and Carrigan. Back-rower Brendan Piakura has suffered a suspected depressed cheekbone and Payne Haas was immense after being forced off early with an ankle injury.

″I’ve never experienced a team going through what they did, but I’m obviously very proud of my players,” Maguire said.

“They believed to the end. They worked hard for each other. There were a lot of players off their feet through various circumstances but just to see them fight the way they did, there’s something there that we talk about.”

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