THE Dragons’ sky-scraping Fijian winger Eto Nabuli has the potential to be one of the personality players of the NRL — as long as he can stay on the field.

Nabuli did some good things in the Dragons’ 18-12 win over Warrington in the opening match of the World Club Series Saturday morning, but it was his spectacular headhigh tackle on his opposite number Kevin Perry that was the major talking point after the game.

Warrington coach Tony Smith believed Nabuli should have been sent off; his Dragons counterpart Paul McGregor felt there was nothing in it, and the vocal crowd of just over 13,000 left referee Ben Thaler in no two minds about what they thought, breaking into a chant that hasn’t been heard at a footie ground since Wally Lewis stopped playing in Sydney.

NABULI FREE TO PLAY AFTER COATHANGER

In some ways they had a point. Thaler’s refereeing of the match seemed lax to say the least. There were only five penalties all match — his arm going up in favour of the Dragons just once, and that in the 72nd minute.

The other penalties were for infringements that the crowd felt could have warranted sin-binnings at the very least — two head high tackles, a holding a man off the ball incident that was sent upstairs for a possible penalty try ruling, and a blatant delaying tactic by Dragons captain Ben Creagh.

If Thaler was acting — or not acting — under instructions to make the first of the three-match series an open affair, it worked. For the most part this was a fast-moving, extremely physical game which both teams contested to their utmost.

In the end it was the kicking game of the Dragons’ Benji Marshall that proved the difference as he put through the grubber for Josh Dugan’s match winning try, and then kept the Wolves pinned on their line in the closing stages.

That the ball handling began to slip away towards the end was hardly surprising. With Thaler seemingly losing his whistle for long periods, the players were exhausted.

Smith, who was at pains to point out after the game that he felt it had been a roaring success and long may it continue, was also frustrated by the referee’s interpretations.

“I think our man in the middle wanted to not blow a penalty in the game and was forced into it at later stages,” he said. “I think he wanted to have a clean sheet at half-time.”

Asked if there had been any indication prior to the match that it would be refereed differently to the way Super League matches are usually officiated, he answered: “No. That’s all we would’ve liked to have known, that it was going to be a bit more relaxed in areas.

“We’ll be playing different rules again next week, don’t worry about that. We should all be playing to the same rules. It makes it easier on everybody.”

As for Nabuli’s tackle, he was in no two minds about how it should have been punished.

“I’d class that as a coathanger, definitely,” he said. “I thought it was a shocker”.

It was hard to disagree. Wrong-footed by Perry late in the first-half, Nabuli threw his 1.95m frame sideways and stuck out an enormous stiff arm which caught the smaller man around the neck.

To his credit, Perry bounced straight back up rather than trying to milk the situation, although Dragons coach McGregor used that as part of his case for the defence.

Asked what he thought of the incident, McGregor answered: “I don’t buy into that sort of stuff. It was a reflex action and the bloke jumped to his feet quicker than anyone.

“I don’t think there was too much in it.”

One thing on which McGregor did agree with Smith was the intensity and atmosphere of the game, and its long-term prospects as an annual event.

“I enjoyed it, I think it should keep growing,” he said.

“After 12 really tough weeks of training to come over here and experience this leading into round one is fantastic.

“You’ve seen a game of football tonight — the first half was as good as any. There was 20 minutes in the second half where both teams turned over a little bit too much of the ball and got a bit scrappy at times, but the scoreline indicated the game.

“If you get football like that, and a crowd like we did, everyone enjoyed themselves, and we had no injuries, which made it even better.”

St George-Illawarra Dragons 18 (Frizell, Thompson, Dugan tries, Widdop 3 goals) beat Warrington Wolves 12 (O’Brien, Atkins tries, O’Brien 2 goals). Crowd 13,060.