- Anasta was famously given a penalty after being punched in the mouth
- Moment he remonstrated with referee Ben Cummins is now a fan tattoo
- Anasta has seen the ink and delivered his verdict
An NRL fan has inked one of the most insane footy moments of the modern era onto his arm – and the footy great at the centre of the on-field drama loves it.
During a heated 2007 NRL clash between the Rabbitohs and Roosters, David Fa’alogo reacted to what he believed was a grapple tackle by standing up and punching Braith Anasta in the head.
In a bizarre twist, referee Ben Cummins initially awarded a penalty against Anasta before eventually sin-binning Fa’alogo, rather than sending him off.
Fa’alogo later received a seven-match suspension while Anasta, who was also sin-binned for a separate grapple tackle, slammed the referee’s handling of the chaotic game.
It was a moment that lives on in rugby league folklore and haunts Anasta to this day.
But the former footy star and current host of Fox Sports’ NRL 360 show could see the funny wide when a fan revealed they had got a tattoo of the infamous incident.
Braith Anasta reacts after being punched by David Fa’alogo in their 2007 NRL clash
Braith Anasta has shared the image of that moment that has been inked onto a fan’s bicep
The NRL 360 host saw the funny side of the tattoo, despite it picturing one of the worst moments of his playing career
‘Jim from Lilyfield’ called into sports radio network SEN to reveal he was the fan who had immortalised the moment Anasta had been struck by Fa’alogo.
The ink includes the moment Anasta was punched and a second panel featuring his classic ‘you’re off your head’ response to being penalised by Cummins.
Anasta shared the image of the fan’s tattoo with the sarcastic caption ‘some people have serious issues’ and a laughing emoji.
The infamous incident unfolded during a fiery clash between the bitter rival clubs.
Late in the game, tensions boiled over when Anasta held onto Fa’alogo in a move referee Ben Cummins deemed a grapple tackle.
But Fa’alogo took the law into his own hands, etching name into the fierce Roosters-Rabbitohs rivalry by standing up and punching Anasta flush in the face.
‘His season might be over,’ commentator Warren Smith said at the time.
‘He stood up and just clocked Braith Anasta. Talk about a brain explosion. He might have got Braith Anasta but gee wiz, he’ll pay a price.
Anasta is tended to by trainers after being punched by Souths forward David Fa’alogo
Souths and Roosters players are pictured clashing in one of the most fiery rivalry clashes between the two sides
‘He’s complaining about a grapple tackle, he got him flush, right on the button. He’s done awfully well to stay on his feet.’
What happened next beggared belief. Cummins called Anasta over, bleeding from the mouth, and told him that the penalty would be awarded against him.
‘You’re off your head! You’re off your head!’ Anasta fumed at the referee.
‘So next time they give a penalty, I can get up and belt somebody and still have a penalty?’ bemused Roosters captain Craig Fitzgibbon said to Cummins.
‘The penalty had already gone against your side, I will deal with that [the Fa’alogo punch] now,’ Cummins replied.
The referee then shocked viewers even further by only sin-binning Fa’alogo instead of sending him off.
Fa’alogo was suspended for seven matches by the NRL judiciary for his brain explosion and the moment lives on in rugby league folklore to this day.
The match descended further into farce, though, when Anasta himself was sin-binned later in the match for another alleged grapple tackle, this time on Souths five-eighth Jeremy Smith.
‘The referee lost the plot, Anasta said at the time.
‘He just listened to the crowd. He should check his undies.
‘Seriously, I’ve never seen anybody give in to the crowd like he did.
‘How do I get 10 in the bin for getting punched in the head and throwing one back?’
