MARK ‘SPUDD’ CARROLL: NRL’s soft penalty for Reece Walsh headbutt sends the wrong message to fans

Are you kidding me?

Reece Walsh headbutts Canberra’s Hudson Young and cops a measly $3000 fine he could easily pay out of the loose change found down the back of his couch.

This was a ripper of a qualifying final that will live long in the memory and another reason we need more Sunday arvo footy - especially on grand final day!

But in hitting Walsh with a feather, what sort of message is the NRL sending to the thousands of young kids who idolise the Brisbane superstar?

That you can get away with anything on the field just because you’ve got a pretty face and are the most marketable player in the game?

Give me a break.

I’ve written here before that Walsh is one of my favourite players and a gift to the game of rugby league.

I call him the Italian Greyhound.

He’s got the beautiful hair, the magnetic eyes, the blink-and-he’s-gone turn of speed.

I just love watching this bloke play.

Brisbane don’t win that epic qualifying final without his brilliance in the last 20 minutes.

But he shouldn’t have been out there.

A headbutt is a send-off offence every day of the week – at least it used to be – and Walsh should have been served up one finger instead of 10 by referee Ashley Klein.

It’s a joke that it was only deemed worthy of a sin-binning.

Ricky Stuart is right – it’s now open season on headbutts.

It’s hard to argue Reece isn’t a protected species after what unfolded at GIO Stadium, compounded by the match review committee’s findings the next day.

I don’t give a stuff that he gave it to the Canberra fans on his way to the bin – good on him for that.

But I can’t cop the grade one contrary conduct charge and pathetic fine for striking Young.

If they’re going to penalise Walsh, at least make it an amount that will sting.

How about a $50,000 fine with the money distributed to all the local clubs in Walsh’s junior district?

That would make anyone think twice about employing the old “Liverpool kiss”.

The Raiders were ripped off – pure and simple – with some of those decisions late in the game.

And I now see many so-called experts are queuing to write them off.

They say the Raiders are shot - physically and mentally - after throwing everything into the game and coming up empty in the cruellest of circumstances.

But here’s the thing.

Canberra won the minor premiership, which not only affords them a second chance but also indicates they’re a bloody good team.

They’ve beaten every side in the top half of the competition this year, with the one-point loss to Brisbane on Sunday their first defeat to a top eight side since May.

They won’t have any trouble getting up for the knock-out semi-final against the Sharks.

In fact, I reckon Stuart has an easy job this week.

Sticky has a PHD in siege mentality and will convince his players the world is against them.

He will be into their ear all week, reminding them everyone outside the capital expects them to fall over and go out in straight sets.

He’ll tell them the bigwigs at League Central would rather one of the glamour clubs make the grand final.

It’s all mind games but you use whatever you can to get an advantage at this time of the year.

And when a team is backed into a corner like the Raiders are, look out.

With a big home crowd behind them, I expect the Green Machine to roar past the Sharks and move to within one win of the GF.