Dunster’s dad says no ‘bad blood’ with Fuimaono family over ugly tackle
The father of Haze Dunster insists there won’t be any “bad blood” with the Fuimaono family over the incident that ended the season of the Parramatta winger, accepting the sickening tackle was an accident.
St George Illawarra forward Tyrell Fuimaono will accept an early guilty plea and miss five weeks for the hip-drop tackle that has ended Dunster’s season. In a bizarre twist, Dunster is in a long-term relationship with Fuimaono’s sister, Taliah, who plays for the Dragons’ NRLW side.
Dunster was a strong chance of nabbing a wing spot in round one following the departure of Blake Ferguson and the unavailability of Maika Sivo for the start of the Eels’ campaign. However, those hopes were dashed when he suffered ruptures of the anterior, medial and posterior ligaments (ACL, MCL and PCL) in his knee during Saturday’s trial.
Dunster’s father, Rob, said he had come to know Fuimaono through the relationship of Haze and Taliah and was satisfied the Dragons forward didn’t deliberately injure his son.
“Haze has been going out with his sister since they were 15. They are pretty close, there is no malice or anything, it was one of those things,” Rob Dunster told the Herald.
“With Haze, there’s no bad blood or anything. There definitely was no malice in that, you could see in the tackle he swung around and accidentally took out his knee.
Eels forward Haze Dunster limps from the field.Credit:Getty
“Even when they had come off, he made sure he checked on Haze. Taliah brought him home and helped with setting him up downstairs in the lounge.
“Tyrell has been through his own injuries as well, he wouldn’t do something like that to another player knowing how long it takes to recover, especially not to Haze, someone he knows quite well.
“There’s no malice or backlash, just one of those things.”
It’s the second time Fuimaono has been charged with a hip-drop tackle after performing the dangerous manoeuvre on Dane Gagai last year. The 25 year old was also responsible for the Magic Round high shot that left Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen concussed and sidelined for several months.
Dunster, who is booked in for surgery in coming days, was hopeful of pushing for Kiwis selection for this year’s World Cup before the injury ended his season.
“He’s pretty gut-wrenched about it all, but it is what it is.”
“He’s pretty gut-wrenched about it all, but it is what it is,” Rob Dunster said.
“It hasn’t really sunken in yet. He usually holds things in, family and friends are trying to get around him and make sure we’re here for him.
“He missed out on the Maori [All Star selection] and now the Kiwis [Tests] coming are coming up this year.
“He was keen since the start of preseason to put in a big one.”
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin told the Herald Fuimaono was “shattered” over the incident.
“It’s a shame for both boys, they’re very good mates and the boy he tackled goes out with Tyrell’s sister. He’s shattered for him,” Griffin said.
“Unfortunately he’s got himself into a bad position. Nobody practices that, and we don’t coach it – it’s just the way it has turned out for him. He has to get that out of his game.
“He’s got himself into a couple of bad positions now. He’s a really good person and never intends for those things to happen. It’s unfortunate for everyone.”
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