It didn't look deliberate sky cameras slowing it down made it look worse.

A lengthy stoppage, stretchered off in a neck brace, off to hospital in an ambulance suggests it may be more than could

Will be purely precautionary, not necessarily indicative of a serious injury.


I've always thought of him as a pretty clean player. Certainly don't remember many dirty incidents from him.

Yeah, all the strapping up etc. is, just not seen a player carted off in an ambulance too often.

Having seen the replay now it looked fairly innocuous in the play and much worse in the slowed down replays. Stevo's hysteria doesn't help. The point of contact is potentially very dangerous though.

I'm not sure people claiming to know what was going on in Hauraki's mind helps, but I hope it's not going to be another incident judged on the outcome rather than the incident itself, even if Abbo is badly hurt.

I don't think it was intentional for one minute.

It was careless. I think Hauraki may have been trying to flap around abit, maybe win his side a penalty for making it looking like he was being held down.

[iHauraki obviously thought Abdull was going to force his face into Weller's knee but he didn't so Hauraki's knee just kept going. That's nothing like a knee to the face, it's not as if it was a Glasgow knee was it? This game has gone soft.[/i

I think that's what the OP was after. Now Weller, he may miss the semi-final, convenience won't be bestowed upon him.

I don't think Hauraki is a particularly dirty player, but the incident depends on intent, I don't think he intended to crunch Abdull's head with his knee i.e. it was not deliberate, but he did know 100% Abdull was defenceless on the floor, yet took the risk of clambering forward using his knees, obviously it is unlucky that he happened to land one knee right "on the money", on most occasions he'd have got away with it. But he took the risk, he was reckless or to put it at its mildest very careless, and made contact with the head of an opponent as a result. He should be charged and sentenced for that.

But deliberate assault with the knee to the head? Nah, no chance.

Apparently Abdull has whiplash and concussion, nothing more serious than that

Glad to hear that. Hope he won't be brought back into the first team too soon following the concussion.
That's not a slur on Hull by the way, just I think we sometimes play it a bit fast and loose with concussions and players knocked out in RL.

Weller, Weller, Weller huh
tell me more
tell me more
can't you kneel on the floor ?

I think Hauraki knew exactly what he was doing. He was looking at the kids head when he put the knee it. I think he took exception to what he thought was contact with his head and the red mist came over. I've never noted Hauraki as a particularly dirty player but that was not good IMO.

It will certainly be looked at by the disciplinary, whether they act will come down to whether they think it is accidental, reckless or intentional.

Tbh, it looked on replays to me as if he was looking at the player, then dropped the knee on to his head deliberately.

Guess it will come down to opinion I suppose.

I can see it from both angles, but if you are trying to regain your feet, you don't drive your knee down to the floor. For me, it was a petulant, yet intentional knee to the head

Similar to the Hock incident in that it's all down to personal opinion. Some will claim it was accidental and others intentional. Personally I'm in the latter category.
He is looking straight at Abdul's head then plants the knee.

P.S. A nice touch by Carvell. All the players stood and clapped as he was stretchered off but Carvell made a little extra effort just to walk over to the stretcher and give Abdul a little tap and a thumbs up. Only a small action but I like to see stuff like that.

Hauraki deserves a ban for the rest of the season.