Parramatta skipper Nathan Hindmarsh labelled Canterbury hooker Michael Ennis a grub and Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne was reported for a headbutt in a drama-charged 34-14 NRL win to the Bulldogs on Friday night.
While Canterbury fullback Ben Barba showed up his opposite with a blistering hattrick at ANZ Stadium, Hayne paid the full price for a moment of madness, headbutting Corey Payne after copping a swinging arm from the backrower.
The incident sparked a stunning revival from the Bulldogs, who piled on 20 points in 11 minutes and 34 unanswered points overall to come from 14-0 down.
But it was a stinging post-game attack from Hindmarsh which grabbed everyone's attention, the Eels skipper livid at being baited by the Bulldogs' No.9, with both sin-binned just minutes after Hayne and Payne were sent to the sheds for 10 minutes.
While Hayne refused to speak after the game, Hindmarsh was filthy at allowing himself to be goaded by Ennis, who has a reputation for niggling tactics.
"Nothing was said, he's just a grub," Hindmarsh said when asked why he reacted with such venom.
"He got under my skin and I retaliated, which I shouldn't have.
"I just lost my cool and I'm disappointed with that because I've been niggled by better."
Ennis brushed off the jibe from his former NSW Origin teammate, claiming "I've been called worse at home".
"My wife would be sitting at home laughing, that's a light spray.
"Hindy's entitled to his opinion, he can say whatever he likes.
"At the end of the day he's the one that came back and threw punches - there was certainly nothing said that was personal ... it was more along the lines of if you're going to do something then do it."
Eels coach Stephen Kearney said his side had no right to cave in the way they did after the Hayne binning.
" ... they had 12 men as well so that doesn't change - it was costly in the sense that we probably lost a bit of momentum there but we ended up getting the penalty," he said.
The Eels had Hayne to thank for their early supremacy as he showed the sort of form which had him labelled the world's best player in 2009 with two brilliant individual tries.
Also i read in another blog that ennis was talking about hindmarsh son Rowdy...
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