Manly Forward Toafofoa Sipley Summoned to NRL Judiciary Following ‘Strange’ Hip-Drop Incident

Manly prop Toafofoa Sipley has been sent to the NRL judiciary following a hip-drop tackle on Dragons winger Mat Feagai.

In an unusual incident during St George Illawarra’s close victory on Thursday night at Brookvale Oval, the front-rower received a sin-bin for the tackle that resulted in an injury to Feagai.

Initially, it appeared that Siosiua Taukeiaho was penalised for a high tackle; however, it was Sipley who was given his marching orders for the dangerous manoeuvre.

The 30-year-old was charged by the match review committee, but due to the unusual nature of the incident, no grading has been assigned at this time.

After the game, Sea Eagles captain Daly Cherry-Evans provided insight into the incident, suggesting that Sipley could potentially avoid severe punishment.

“I’ll mention this; I think he possibly got concussed from the elbow, which threw off his balance,” Cherry-Evans explained.

“It looked pretty accidental from my view. Hopefully, the reviewers see that aspect as well.”

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Anthony Seibold acknowledged that the situation was indeed “bizarre”, but he confirmed that Sipley passed a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) before returning to the field for the closing moments of the match.

Feagai had to leave the field after a prolonged delay, with uncertainty regarding whether the 18th man Sione Finau could be brought on due to foul play.

The game resumed with the visitors before Finau replaced Feagai, and head coach Shane Flanagan expressed his frustration over the unfolding situation.

“I was disappointed because we had a player that I thought had been hit in the head, but it was actually a hip-drop,” he commented.

“We had to restart play with just 12 players, which put us at a disadvantage. It was a complicated situation, and I understand there was a lot happening on the sideline. We handled it poorly and dropped the ball, but we shouldn’t have resumed play with 12 men. That was really frustrating for me.”

Finau is anticipated to start for the Dragons in their traditional Anzac Day clash against the Roosters next weekend, while Feagai is expected to be sidelined for a significant period.