State of Origin: Greg Bird contests dangerous tackle charge, risks series ending suspension

THE Gold Coast are on Tuesday expected to announce they will contest the grading of Greg Bird’s dangerous throw charge, with Bird prepared to take the risk of being ruled out of the entire State of Origin series. Bird was hit with a grade three charge by the NRL match review committee for a dumping tackle on South Sydney’s Bryson Goodwin. PICK YOUR GREATEST EVER ORIGIN TEAM BLUES’ IN DISARRAY AS FIFITA INJURED AND BIRD AND PEARCE FACE BANS The Daily Telegraph understands South Sydney have privately offered support to the Titans and are stunned at the severity of Bird’s charge. QLD’S FAN FAVOURITES: RATE THE TITANS Greg Bird is put on report for a lifting tackle. Greg Bird is put on report for a lifting tackle. Source: News Corp Australia The NRL vowed to crack down on all dangerous throws in the wake of the tragic injury to Alex McKinnon. However, the Gold Coast are miffed at the consistency of the match review committee’s grading of Bird’s offence. Only last round, the Wests Tigers’ Tim Simona was charged with a Grade 2 dangerous throw for his tackle on the Gold Coast’s Aidan Sezer, where Simona put a hand between the legs, and Sezer’s head was the first point of contact with the ground Bird’s defence is likely to argue that at no stage did Bird place a hand between Goodwin’s legs and that Goodwin landed on his back, with the force of the tackle forcing his head to ricochet on the turf. ANOTHER BAD DAY ENGULFS THE NRL Bird will front the NRL judiciary on Wednesday night to seek a reduction but if he is unsuccessful, he will be banned for six matches, ruling him out of the entire Origin series for NSW. While the NRL has received plenty of support for its tougher penalties, many in the game believe Bird’s grade three charge sets a dangerous precedent because most consider it not a dangerous throw, but an old-fashioned copybook tackle. Greg Bird tackle on Bryson Goodwin. Greg Bird tackle on Bryson Goodwin. Source: News Corp Australia Titans coach John Cartwright on Monday said of fighting the charge: “You only challenge it if you think you can get off. “Whether it’s Origin or a club game you’ve got to weigh up the innocence and the guilt and whether you get the player off the charge.” In reference to lifting tackles in general and whether they should be rubbed out of the game altogether, Cartwright said; “You can’t stop that type of tackle happening. In a game with a lot of contact there’s some things which are just unavoidable.” Gold Coast Titans v South Sydney Rabbitohs: Match review 2:55 Play video http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/external?url=http://content4.video.news.com.au/foxsports/prod/archive/2014/05/10/GLD_SOU_SIMSAT.jpg&width=650&api_key=kq7wnrk4eun47vz9c5xuj3mc A comprehensive review of South Sydney Rabbitohs' 18-40 win over the Gold Coast Titans. In considering how to react to the charge on Monday, Titans CEO Graham Annesley said what was best for NSW would not play a part in their final decision. Asked what Bird’s reaction was when told about the severity of the charge, Annesley said: “He was advised by our football manager (Scott Clark) but I guess you could assume he was disappointed, particularly being so close to Origin.” Asked if he expected the club to fight the charge, Annesley said: “We are now in the process of looking at videos and looking at comparative tackles so we won’t make a decision until after we have finished that process (today). “As I understand it is the difference between six weeks and two weeks (if they fight the charge and successfully get a downgrade). “So there is a big difference between the two. Greg Bird will miss both Origin I and Origin II unless he successfully fights a dangerous Greg Bird celebrates a Blues victory after NSW won game one of the 2013 Origin series. Source: News Limited “These things are gambles, that’s the nature of the system.” But what is best for the Blues won’t necessarily come into the Gold Coast’s consideration. “Ultimately we have to decide whether we want him available to play for us, the rest of it is out of our control,” Annesley said. “If he plays Origin he is not available for us anyway.”