Eamonn Tiernan is the NRL Editor at foxsports.com.au and he writes Extra Time fortnightly.
Victor ‘the inflictor’ Radley became the most sin binned player in NRL history last weekend, but now the NRL have admitted it should never have happened.
That will come as cold comfort to Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who blew up deluxe at the match-defining call which reduced his side to 11 men with the game in the balance.
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NRL officials were slammed following the 73rd minute decision because nobody watching the replays thought Radley’s tackle was a hip-drop.
Nobody except the officials paid to watch the replays.
The Bulldogs held on for a 30-26 victory and a fired-up Robinson blasted the Radley decision as “ridiculous” and “below par” refereeing in a rare spray at officials.
“How they got to that decision… was just incredible” Robinson said.
Bulldogs icon James Graham said “nobody in the game understands that decision”, while Roosters great Cooper Cronk said it cost them the chance to win.
Even Rabbitohs backrower Jai Arrow said the Radley was “hard done by”. The following morning the Roosters lock was cleared by the match review committee.
The outburst from Robinson left NRL officials unimpressed and they’ll be having a quiet word with the three-time premiership winning coach.
But NRL head of football Graham Annesley conceded to foxports.com.au that “in hindsight” putting Radley on report “would have been the better option”.
Instead, the decision made Radley the equal-most (10) sin binned player in NRL history alongside polarising Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell.
Annesely also admitted Mitchell could have been binned for his own controversial incident last weekend that resulted in a three-game suspension.
Annesley conceded the explanation of the Radley and Mitchell decisions could have been better communicated by the officials.
“Language the referee uses is important and that’s constantly reinforced,” Annesley told foxsports.com.au.
“We want them to be as descriptive as they possibly can and they are operating under time pressure in a high pressure environment so at times they don’t always give the best possible explanation for their decision, but they’re encouraged to do that as much as possible.”
So if you think South Sydney are going through a rough trot, spare a thought for the referees inside the Bunker who are in desperate need of a bye that never comes.
The game is flying in almost every measurable category, but the Bunker boys simply can’t take a trick at the moment.
Being a referee is a thankless task and they were put in a brutal position during the Manly-Penrith clash last Saturday afternoon.
The Sea Eagles were leading the Panthers 8-6 in the 35th minute when Tommy Talau attempted to intercept a Dylan Edwards pass and dropped it cold.
Talau immediately looked guilty, but his Manly teammate Tolu Koula played to the whistle, scooped up the ball and raced 90 metres. The only whistle that came was one awarding a try.
“That’s a knock on, I don’t understand how (referee) Todd Smith has let that play on,” Corey Parker said on the Fox League commentary.
“Everyone is standing around here waiting for this to be overturned,” Dan Ginnane responded.
While the Bunker was reviewing it, even Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic walked up to Smith and asked if it was really a try.
Then just a few seconds later, in stunning scenes, the try was confirmed.
It wasn’t the reason Penrith lost but, like the Roosters incident, it certainly had a big impact on the game.
“I mean, yeah, everybody in the stadium knew it was a knock-on,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said.
Koula runs 100m after ‘clear knock-on’ | 01:15
The NRL later released real time audio of Bunker official Grant Atkins, who when reviewing the try said to Smith “I can’t conclusively say that it’s incorrect… I can’t prove it goes forward”.
The decision divided opinion on NRL 360, while Channel 9 experts Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns were both satisfied the ball went backwards.
But let’s be clear, whether the ball travelled slightly forward or slightly backwards is largely irrelevant. The problem is, that type of incident has been called a knock on since 1908.
If it had been ruled that way on Saturday, like it has been thousands of times before, nobody would have questioned it.
And that’s the gauge people are crying out to see the Bunker use.
This is where the former players who work inside the Bunker, Ben Galea and David Fairleigh, need to speak up. In the situations where “black-and-white interpretations” are going to cause more harm than good.
They needed to say last Saturday “hey guys, in this scenario, nobody is going to question a knock on ruling but if you call this a try you’re going to be on a hiding to nothing for days”.
There’s always going to be contentious 50-50 calls in rugby league, we’re not talking about those ones. We’re talking about the ones where only one of the two decisions leads to uproar.
NRL great Beau Scott worked inside for the Bunker for years but was one of several players who weren’t invited back after Covid.
“If there was a disagreement, there would be a constructive criticism debrief afterwards,” Scott told foxsports.com.au.
“It’s a pretty hard spot for ex-players to be in, it wasn’t an easy job. Everything is split decision so it’s a pretty tough role.
“It’s about getting the decision right at the end of the day but everyone is human, every makes mistakes which people have to understand.
“But yeah, we got sacked in the end. We didn’t really get an explanation which isn’t uncommon for that organisation.”
Panel clashes on Manly knock on call | 01:27
Annesely said the NRL reduced its pool of ex-players used inside the Bunker for “consistency” reasons.
Ironically, the NRL’s dogged pursuit of transparency by broadcasting the Bunker official’s reasoning behind their decisions has often led to more controversy.
As if it’s not already tough enough for them to make the right call in the heat of the moment, the NRL also scrutinises all their contentious calls at a weekly press conference on Mondays.
They do this in an attempt to be more transparent with fans but you can hardly blame referees for wanting to live in the land of black-and-white interpretations, which Ivan Cleary warned last week has never worked.
The NRL made the names of Dally M voters confidential this season, maybe it’s time to do the same for the Bunker officials so they can make a decision on a Friday night without fear of copping it at their local cafe on Saturday morning.
The Bunker has improved significantly since its 2016 inception, but there’s still a way to go.
KICK-OFFS… ENJOY ‘EM WHILE THEY LAST
Debate has raged recently over talk the NRL is looking at banning kick-offs to reduce concussions from high-speed collisions.
The brutal impact is usually between blokes who weigh about 115kgs and start 50 metres apart before running at each other full tilt.
There have been three knockouts and counting this season and each one is bringing us closer to an inevitable rule change.
The “it’s part of the game” and “they know what they signed up for” arguments don’t stack up now that we know so much more about the dangers of concussion.
Just because a miner signs up to do a risky job doesn’t mean their company foregoes its safety responsibilities.
Especially when the bosses of that mine find out working conditions are more dangerous than they realised.
Foxsports.com.au asked Graham Annesley if the NRL are seriously considering banning kick-offs and his answer will have the traditionalists worried.
“We made a change this year in relation to the kick-off with short kick-offs not being as heavily penalised if they go wrong,” he said.
“The commission reviews all rules at the end of each season and ultimately it will be a matter for the commission. Player safety, which includes concussion, is always at the forefront of our thinking.”
JENNINGS SITUATION
The Roosters and NRL have had very little to say on the unfolding Michael Jennings situation, but there’s a reason behind it.
Jennings has made an unlikely return to the NRL at age 35 this season after serving a three-year ban for using performance-enhancing drugs.
But the veteran centre has this week been embroiled in a different controversy around a civil court case involving his ex-wife.
In December 2021, a judge ordered Jennings to pay his former partner, Kirra Wilden, over $490,000 in damages for personal injuries.
Jennings denied the allegations, was never charged by police and appealed the ruling, but it was upheld.
Wilden’s lawyers claimed last weekend their client is yet to receive any money, and on Monday the NRL announced Jennings won’t receive “official recognition” for his 300th NRL game this Thursday night due to “past conduct”.
The NRL approved the Roosters’ request to re-register Jennings as an NRL player with the understanding he would honour his court-ordered obligations.
However, it is understood that Jennings is still contesting the dollar figure he owes his ex-wife.
“What is Trent Robinson on?” | 01:16
Make no mistake, the NRL hates the optics that they’re allowing Jennings to play while avoiding compensating Wilden, but their hands are ultimately tied to take any action until the matter is formally resolved.
Jennings returned to the Roosters on a 14-week train-and-trial deal and was then upgraded to a top 30 deal last month, which means he’s earning at least the NRL minimum wage of $130,000.
“His purpose is really clear about why he plays the game now, with his family and wanting to rewrite his name in the right way and do the right thing,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said ahead of Jennings’ 300th.
“His purpose is really clear and he’s worked really hard.”
Foxsports.com.au contacted Wilden for comment.
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