Rabbitohs winger Taane Milne banned two weeks for “dumb” tackle

The latest Milne ban is another example of the current chaos in South Sydney, who are currently bottom of the ladder. 

South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Taane Milne is in hot water with the NRL and with his club for a dangerous tackle he committed against the Melbourne Storm on Thursday. Milne lowered his head, ramming Melbourne’s Cameron Munster’s legs. The NRL have banned Milne for two weeks for the tackle.  

Milne banned for horror tackle 

With just nine seconds left in South Sydney Rabbitohs’ ANZAC Round match against Melbourne Storm, winger Taane Milne decided he had enough.  
 
A quartet of Rabbitohs, including Milne, had held up the Storm’s Cameron Munster. Then, inexplicably as Munster was coming to a halt and play was about to stop, Milne made a diving tackle at Munster’s knees. 
 
The 28-year-old was immediately dealt with by Joe Chan who pulled Milne out of the scrum by his jersey. The two men battled it out briefly before other Storm and Rabbitohs’ players got involved to break up the fight. That’s not where the incident ended though.  
 
The NRL announced on Friday that Milne has been banned for two weeks for the tackle. He will miss Rabbitohs’ next two matches versus reigning Premiers Panthers and against St. George Illawarra Dragons.  

Reactions to Milne’s dirty play 

Joe Chan and the NRL were not the only ones to take offence with Milne’s tackle on Munster. Fox League’s Dan Ginnan, who was on the call for the match, called the play “nasty,” and pointed out Milne’s history for dirty plays.  
 
Jason Demetriou called the play “dumb” after the match. “It probably ends a dumb night on a dumb note,” the Rabbitohs head coach said.  
 
“I thought he was trying to come in and got knocked down so I’ll have to have a look at it closely but it’s a frustrating way to end the game,” Demetriou also said.

Storm legend Cooper Cronk was less kind to Milne, calling it a “terrible, terrible effort.”  
 
“Diving below the knee. Doesn’t matter if it’s a gun player or not, you can hyperextend and that could be an ACL territory or some really long-term knee injuries,” Cronk explained.  

Rabbitohs keep spiralling  

Milne’s latest ban is one another example of the chaos currently plaguing Rabbitohs right now. The betting sites had South Sydney as one of the favourites to qualify for the Finals Series. Now, eight rounds into the 2024 NRL season, the Bunnies are bottom of the ladder with just one win to their name.  
 
To make matters worse for Souths, their record is entirely deserved. Their -136 points difference is the largest in the NRL, and by a significant margin. Suspensions to key players like Latrell Mitchell and now Milne have led to drama off the field as well.  

Rabbitohs’ poor start to the 2024 season has many fans calling for a complete rebuild after this season. It’s obviously too early to say whether the club will undergo this rebuild, but one major change could be on the horizon. Reports say that if this poor form continues for much longer, Demetriou will be out of a job.