Souths star Latrell Mitchell and Broncos forward Jordan Riki were sensationally given their marching orders in a dramatic double sin binning.
With 24 minutes remaining in the second half with Souths leading 22-0, a fracas started after Riki rocked Cam Murray with a big hit despite the Rabbitohs lock never touching the ball.
In a game that already had plenty of feeling, the Riki hit was enough to fire up a few of Murray’s teammates, who descended on Riki.
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Mitchell ran in from some distance to push Riki, which fuelled the fire briefly before the fracas broke up.
“The Rabbitohs are so wired up tonight,” Andrew Voss said on Fox League.
Mitchell was then called out by referee Adam Gee and sent for ten minutes for “escalating” the situation.
“You’re getting the penalty, that completely escalates for how far he runs in, so you’re going to the bin,” Gee told Mitchell.
“He escalates it.”
“He did run a long way,” Greg Alexander said in commentary.
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Riki was then sin binned as well as placed on report.
As there was no contact to the head, Riki was only penalised for the tackle without the ball.
Outside of that moment, Mitchell was outstanding for the Rabbitohs in his final audition for a Blues jersey in Game II before Origin teams are announced on Sunday night.
Mitchell shouldn’t face a suspension for the incident.
“He’s got nothing to worry about I don’t think,” Corey Parker said on Fox League.
James Graham said Mitchell may have overreacted, but believed it was a good sign to see the star fullback so fired up.
“The incident where Jordan Riki goes in on Cam Murray, Latrell you could maybe argue overreacts, but it’s the mentality of if you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us and we’re coming for you,” Graham said post-match.
“I actually like that. It shows that he’s back in when he’s been accused of not caring as much, it shows to me that he cares about his teammates and the result.”
Source Agencies
