Origin star’s ‘special’ effort seals victory

Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien has sprayed Jack Hetherington for a slap on Izack Tago that led to the firebrand being sin binned.

His forward wasn’t the only person he singled out though.

“I could clearly see he got slapped from the ground. That one was hidden, Jack’s wasn’t — Jack’s was pretty blatant,” O’Brien said in his press conference.

“It wasn’t a smart thing to do by Jack — I think he’d be the first one to admit that.

“But if you’re getting 10 minutes for striking in the face, I can clearly see him getting struck from the ground up. It’s still a strike to the face.”