Toafofoa Sipley sin-binned for hip-drop tackle on Mat Feagai, video, Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Illawarra Dragons

Manly’s Toafofoa Sipley has been referred to the judiciary after being sin-binned for a hip-drop tackle on Dragons winger Mat Feagai, who was forced from the field.

Sipley hit Feagai from the side before his legs swung around and his body landed on Feagai’s legs in the 52nd minute.

Feagai stayed down grabbing at his ankle after the tackle and was later assisted from the field by Dragons trainers.

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The NRL released their charge sheet on Friday, revealing Sipley would have to front the judiciary.

Players are typically only referred to the judiciary for serious charges or one that requires testimony from a player, like Kyle Flanagan’s biting charge late in 2024.

Sipley was called over by referee Peter Gough who said he “loses your legs, grip and twist. It’s a moderate-risk for injury” before giving the Sea Eagles prop his marching orders.

After watching replays, Fox League analyst Kevin Walters and commentator Warren Smith had some doubts over the tackle.

“That’s not a classic… I don’t know… I’ll stay out of it,” Walters said.

Smith added: “The lower body of Sipley’s body swings towards the legs. The more you look at it you start to second guess the initial assessment of it.”

Given the Dragon lost Feagai through an act of foul play, they were able to activate their 18th man, who was 23-year-old outside back Sione Finau.

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Sipley’s night took another turn as he head into the sheds with the Manly forward also forced to undergo a head injury assessment after copping a head knock in the same tackle he was binned for.

Given a HIA takes 15 minutes, Sipley had to spend longer than first expected on the sideline — however the Sea Eagles were able to send Nathan Brown on after 10 minutes once Sipley’s time in the bin ended.

While Sipley passed his HIA, his teammate Jake Trbojevic wasn’t so lucky with the workhorse lock being ruled out of the game eight minutes in after showing category one concussion symptoms.

Ethan Bullemor also left the field with a knee injury.

The Dragons lost bench forward Hamish Stewart to a failed HIA, while Lachlan Ilias suffered an injury scare when he stayed down after a nasty-looking tackle.