Elliott Whitehead says Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson was “out of order” in refusing to accept his apology over a tackle that injured Brandon Smith’s knee.
But Robinson felt it was hard to forgive Whitehead, whom he said had been laying hip-drop tackles for his “whole career”.
The Canberra captain went to the sin bin for laying a hip-drop tackle on Smith during the first half of the Raiders’ 14-12 win, which ended with the Roosters hooker on the sidelines.
Early indications are that the tackle injured the medial cruciate ligament in Smith’s right knee, meaning he is no certainty to feature in the third-placed Roosters’ finals tilt.
“I didn’t mean to do Brandon. I know he’s come up with a bad injury and stuff, and I’m sorry to him for that,” Whitehead said.
Whitehead approached Robinson to apologise for his tackle after the game, only to be rebuffed by the coach, who also lost Sam Walker (knee) and Victor Radley (shoulder) to injury on Sunday.
“I went over to ask about Brandon and Trent Robinson’s had a go at me,” Whitehead said.
“I went to apologise, and he’s turned on me, so the way he’s done that I thought (he) was out of order.”
Robinson was reluctant to address the incident in his own post-match press conference.
But the coach felt Whitehead had a history of laying hip-drop tackles throughout a career that began with English Super League side Bradford in 2009.
In the past two years, though, Whitehead has only been charged with grade-one offences.
“He came up and just wanted to ask how Brandon was, and I just said it was too many times. The hip-drop’s been pretty common in his game for a long time, and I just said it’s too many times. It’s cost us a player,” Robinson said.
“That was it. He said it was an accident, and I just said ‘Look, you’ve done it too many times’. That was it.”
Robinson said he did not hold a personal grudge against Whitehead.
“I like Elliott. I’ve watched him since he was in Bradford and Catalans,” the coach said.
“I wouldn’t usually want to talk to you guys (the media) about it, but he opened it up and it’s been really common in his game his whole career.”
Whitehead’s tackle may have ended his NRL career.
To make the finals, the 11th-placed Raiders likely need to defeat St George Illawarra next weekend and have Newcastle and the Dolphins draw .
That means the round-27 game against the Dragons will be the club’s last before the second-rower joins Super League side Catalans next season.
If the match review committee hands Whitehead a grade-two or grade-three charge, he will face suspension.
Whitehead could appeal to have his charge reclassified as grade one to pay a fine instead of serving a suspension.
