The rugby league world is in shock after Canterbury five-eighth Lachlan Lewis had a moment of incredible madness in the Bulldogs’ clash with the Rabbitohs, eventually won by South Sydney in a 32-24 heart-stopper.
As Canterbury took a 12-10 lead into the half-time break, Lewis was caught by cameras in a war of words with South Sydney five-eighth Cody Walker and had an extraordinary brain snap, aggressively lunging and tackling him to the ground.
That prompted an all-in melee and, when the drama had finally died off, referee Ben Cummins showed no hesitation in dumping Lewis in the sin bin.
“Stupidity, crazy, I just do not understand it,” said former Sharks coach Shane Flanagan on Fox League’s coverage.
Rugby league great Braith Anasta added: “Bizarre, I’ve never seen anything like it … I think he needs his head read.”
And NRL icon Cooper Cronk added: “It’s 10 minutes (in the sin bin) for stupidity. Look, it’s a couple of flyweights and I think Lachlan Lewis may have thought it escalated, so he’s taken him to the ground – but you just can’t do that!”
Cronk sympathised with Canterbury coach Trent Barrett, who had seen his last-placed Bulldogs show almighty spirit to be leading at half-time against a competition powerhouse, only for Lewis to give the team’s victory hopes an enormous dent.
“The Dogs, after all they went through in the first half, up by two against a heavyweight of the competition, Lachlan Lewis goes to the bin,” Cronk said.
“Trent Barrett must be fuming!”
The Gold Coast clash is a red-hot leader for ‘wildest game of the season’.
On top of Lewis’ incredible brain explosion, there were four lead changes, a late Canterbury comeback and a stellar try by South Sydney’s Mark Nicholls, in which the prop just about snatched a rash pass from the grips of teammate Jacob Host.
“I reckon we should get together in 10 years’ time and toast it,” commentator Andrew Voss said to former Panthers captain Greg Alexander.
“Where were you when the Rabbitohs played the Bulldogs and some bizarre things happened?”
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