TITAN PETE
02-04-13, 03:23 PM
By Ian Mccullough
AAP
Tue 02nd April, 2:15pm
RSS
Canterbury will be without goalkicking centre Krisnan Inu for five matches after the NRL club opted to accept the early guilty plea for his spear tackle on South Sydney's Greg Inglis on Good Friday.
Inu was charged with a grade four dangerous throw following the incident and Bulldogs coach Des Hasler said the club looked at trying to get a downgrade at the NRL Judiciary hearing but decided against it.
"We did look at comparables, and we were looking at maybe a grade three," Hasler said on Tuesday.
"But we couldn't find anything that was a grade three so it was probably best that we took the five matches."
Hasler ran the risk of losing Inu for seven games had he fronted the judiciary and lost.
The two-time premiership-winning coach admitted it was too much of a gamble given the reaction to the second-half incident which resulted in Inglis landing on his head.
"This early in the season we probably risked running into the back of public emotion and (seven) weeks was probably a bit risky," he said.
"Krisnan didn't mean to do it. He's not that kind of player. He's held in fairly high regard.
"It was a tackle that went wrong. It was fairly black and white. It was a bit careless and a bit reckless and that is the way it goes.
"I think that maybe a month would have been right ... but I can understand why they gave it five (weeks)."
Hasler said Tim Lafai will play at centre against Manly on Friday at ANZ Stadium but was yet to decide who will deputise as kicker for Inu.
Steve Turner, who was the No.2 kicker at the club retired last month and skipper Michael Ennis has endured mixed success with the boot in the past.
"There are a couple who have kicked before and we'll find someone," Hasler said.
AAP
Tue 02nd April, 2:15pm
RSS
Canterbury will be without goalkicking centre Krisnan Inu for five matches after the NRL club opted to accept the early guilty plea for his spear tackle on South Sydney's Greg Inglis on Good Friday.
Inu was charged with a grade four dangerous throw following the incident and Bulldogs coach Des Hasler said the club looked at trying to get a downgrade at the NRL Judiciary hearing but decided against it.
"We did look at comparables, and we were looking at maybe a grade three," Hasler said on Tuesday.
"But we couldn't find anything that was a grade three so it was probably best that we took the five matches."
Hasler ran the risk of losing Inu for seven games had he fronted the judiciary and lost.
The two-time premiership-winning coach admitted it was too much of a gamble given the reaction to the second-half incident which resulted in Inglis landing on his head.
"This early in the season we probably risked running into the back of public emotion and (seven) weeks was probably a bit risky," he said.
"Krisnan didn't mean to do it. He's not that kind of player. He's held in fairly high regard.
"It was a tackle that went wrong. It was fairly black and white. It was a bit careless and a bit reckless and that is the way it goes.
"I think that maybe a month would have been right ... but I can understand why they gave it five (weeks)."
Hasler said Tim Lafai will play at centre against Manly on Friday at ANZ Stadium but was yet to decide who will deputise as kicker for Inu.
Steve Turner, who was the No.2 kicker at the club retired last month and skipper Michael Ennis has endured mixed success with the boot in the past.
"There are a couple who have kicked before and we'll find someone," Hasler said.