They couldn’t find a way to fine Ricky Stuart for his comments at the after-match press conference – although they did issue him a warning – so they fined him $10,000 for throwing a bottle out a window.
At least Andrew Abdo had the integrity to announce the Stuart fine himself rather than wheeling out Graham Annesley to do it.
“We expect our coaches to set the standard for behaviour within our clubs and Ricky’s conduct on Sunday is not the image we want to portray to our fans,” NRL CEO Abdo said via a statement.
But what do we, the fans, expect of you and your organisation, Andrew?
Yes, we know that the NRL is for all intents and purposes a private company that produces an entertainment product.
We understand that we fans are really just punters and have no real say in the way the game is run or who runs it. Saying that your fine for Stuart is in our name is pretty odd in the circumstances.
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Let me remind you what ARLC chairman Peter V’landys said on 31 October 2019 after being appointed.
“To be frank, we need to improve our refereeing. That’s the biggest single problem at the moment,” V’landys said.
“Being from the racing industry there’s one thing that I’ve learnt: it’s that punters or fans don’t like to be ripped off. You can’t have them walk away thinking that they’ve been ripped off.
“We need to fix our systems and do whatever we can so that the fan walks away happy and content that he’s had a fair crack and not walk away thinking that he’s been ripped off.”
Well, I still feel ripped off, Andrew. So many of us do. Really ripped off.
Every single week there are appalling calls and decisions made. One match a ruling will be made one way and then made completely differently in the next. I now have no idea what the obstruction rule is, so different have the rulings been from game to game.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Each week the NRL wheels out Graham Annesley to try and defend or condemn the latest missteps. He keeps fronting up and talking rubbish again and again and again.
This week is no different. And it is just becoming sad.
When Ricky alluded to the officiating not being wonderful, it should be noted that after going in at halftime with a 7-1 count, the Raiders-Warriors match finished with eight penalties a side. It’d be funny if it wasn’t so predictable.
Annesley defended referee Chris Sutton’s decision to penalise Jack Wighton for being offside as being right – by all of a quarter of a second: “He’s either onside or he’s off – they’re the only two options,” Annesley said. Wighton was sent to the bin for ten for repeated Canberra infringements.
When a player is sin-binned on the basis of a fraction of a second in regard to offside by a referee who a) wasn’t looking at Wighton’s side of the field, and b) did not have the benefit of extreme slow-motion replay, Annesley’s response is glib at best and insulting at worst.
Because the reality was this was a marginal call at best:
When that type of line-ball decision leads to a game-altering moment like a sin-bin, surely the referees should be backing themselves up with some additional help from the bunker to make sure it’s spot-on.
And here is the real issue with this ruling, something Annesley didn’t bother to cover at all when reviewing the Wighton incident. In the aftermath of Sutton awarding the penalty and sending Wighton to the sin bin, the Raiders captain at that point – Elliott Whitehead – asked to challenge the decision. Sutton replied that “It’s a ten-metre penalty, so it can’t be challenged”.
Here are the NRL’s own stated rules for the use of the captain’s challenge:
- Only a captain or nominated co-captain can challenge a decision. Should the captain or co-captain be off the field, another player can be nominated to take his place.
- Each team is allowed one unsuccessful challenge per game.
- The only decisions that can be challenged are ones which involve a structured restart of play (for example, a penalty, scrum, drop-out et cetera).
- Challenges will not be permitted where the referee allows play to proceed.
This was clearly an incident that involved a structured restart of play, Whitehead clearly challenged the decision and Sutton – totally incorrectly – did not allow the challenge to happen.
Later in the match, Sutton did allow a decision to be challenged by the Raiders. The problem was that Jordan Rapana challenged it and wasn’t the captain.
Shortly afterwards the Raiders’ actual captain – Jarrod Croker for those also not in the know – came across, introduced himself to the referee as skipper and enquired as to what was going on.
Sutton waved him away.
The only logical conclusion from these incidents is that Chris Sutton forgot the rules he is paid so well to officiate.
(Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
Will Annesley sack him like he punted touchie Phil Henderson, mid-round, for his one error on Thursday night’s Bulldogs-Rabbitohs match? I’m betting not.
Sutton’s failures in the match weren’t limited to his ignorance of the rules either.
While Sutton was happy to send a player to the sin bin for a side conceding repeated penalties, he apparently wasn’t really that concerned when it came to protecting players from dangerous illegal actions.
While Sutton clearly saw and penalised Josh Papalii’s grab of a Warriors player’s hair, for some reason it didn’t warrant ten on the pine.
As well, while Jaydn Su’A was sin-binned for illegal contact on Bulldog Lachlan Lewis during the first match of the round, Chris Sutton did not sin-bin Isaiah Papali’i for a blatant shoulder charge on Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, although he did penalise it while CNK was lying in pain on the GIO Stadium turf.
The question is: why not? Surely if dangerous illegal contact warrants a sin-bin when it is Su’A hitting Lewis, then when Papalii hits Nicoll-Klokstad it is the same.
And if not, why not, Graham?
Because I and lots of other fans – the same ones Andrew Abdo is so concerned about witnessing a water bottle being thrown – feel ripped off.
Hopefully Peter V’Landys is paying attention and takes action.
Rob
Guest
Tim, the Warriors, Titans, Cowboys and Knights supporters feel your pain. I believe the Rugby League rules are secondary to the prime agenda of the NRL which is entertainment and keeping a focus on Sydney based clubs supports being involved in finals Competition. We have to recognise many Sydney club supporters are actually spread throughout the country and many Corporate’s have an affiliation with these historical brands. It’s blatantly obvious 2 or 3 Sydney based teams should finish top 4. The draw is designed for this result before a ball is kicked. Even in a global pandemic year the GF will never leave Sydney and Sydney teams will continue to demand interstate teams travel even with no crowd attendance and community transmission? The resistance to expansion and financial assistance consistently afford to Sydney clubs supporters this. These are facts that show the priorities. Then we have the rule changes? How do we limit a certain teams success because they are consistently in the top. Salary cap but allow FTA for manipulation if required controlled by the NRL’s discretion. Well let’s also grey the rules to allow ref’s discretion. It’s blatantly obvious 50/50 calls will go to the team trailing on the scoreboard to sustain theatre value. Let’s up the ante and bring in a indiscriminate 6 again call that can be vague and virtually unquestioned during the run of play. Okay let’s make a off side a 6 again to avoid the (Stuart) evidence? Let’s get the sin bin back in vogue but make it discretion related to not undermine game management. Throw in a bunker that will hopefully subdue fan anger over undefinable errors but also aid the agenda to facilitate game management where possible eg find the smallest thing on a particular camera angle, complete ignore others if required. I don’t know of any other sport that is consistently trying to change rules by making them more ambiguous and open to interpretation over the last 20 years. It has become almost impossible to explain a knock on, forward pass especially with the contradictory interpretation. A high tackle, marking square, playing the ball, walking off the mark, player held, and those being in front of the ref is only sometimes regarded as offside when the ball is played? These rules are so easy to enforce but have now become a farcically embarrassing for players, coaches and fan to comprehend IMO.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
If this Wighton decision is the standard, the refs could blow a penalty for defence jumping the line on every single penalty tap restart in every single game for the past 10 years... Which would be by definition a repeat infringement.
Short Memory
Guest
Off side is off side. Repeated infringements are repeated infringements. Whinging is whinging.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
A North Sydney player, Don McKinnon, did it during play out in the open some metres behind his team. I recall some team forming a huddle around their player to keep the cameras out. It worked well.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
The misleading six again signal happened just before the Easts try and was the reason Canberra were not organizing their defence. An easy field goal would've given them the lead with a few minutes to go. No wonder we have returned to one referee.
Muzz
Guest
Good luck mate.
Tim Gore
Expert
I just don't know Benjamin. I just don't know... If you would like to donate to our fighting fund it would be great!
Tim Gore
Expert
The GF was lost when Joey didn't pass to Rapa. He passes straight away the Raiders win. He didn't. All the other factors are speculative. And we haven't given up yet Muzz. The fight aint over.
Tim Gore
Expert
Correct. Everyone here is entitled to put their opinion forward. And yours is a good one and well reasoned. Some decide they want to be rude and derisive though when they give theirs. If they do that, they should know that they'll get it back in kind from me.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Let he, who is without sin, cast the first stone. All praise The Father, The Son and The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
The window was shut by the two referee system fail that took a whole season to appear. That can't happen again. Easts going for a treble adds some interest to this awful year but hopefully Penrith or Melbourne can beat Sydney City.
Becauseandeffect
Guest
If I could chime in, late as it may be... firstly, Tim. Great article and slant On topical issues as always. Secondly, everyone here is entitled to their opinion and of course this is indeed the forum to Have such a say and lend our own opinions to the topics at hand. Cliche, but true. It’s democracy. But let’s stick to the heart of the article. If I can offer my views on all of this it would look something like this... I strongly believe Ricky was defending his players, his club, his take on this game and the greater game that is the NRL. More so than the shot he appeared to deliver across the bow Of the entire NRL refereeing department. Of which I am sure, majority of coaches would have felt similarly, not necessarily pitched as up front as Stick offered on Sunday. That’s Emotion. That’s passion. Stick, I feel, was pointing out the gross inconsistencies in officiating decisions that his team, like all other 15 teams in this competition face week in, week out. If Jack was deemed to be off side and on the back of a culmination of penalties in a short period of time and therefore sin binned, then so be it. What Stick had a problem with, was that this same scenario could play out in 7 other games on the same weekend and not incur the same result. Let’s be fair, and As a league fan, this is the single most frustrating thing for mind... you can take any defensive line defending any offensive structure on any game and find a player offside. Whether it be in the ruck or the outer two thirds, there is for the most part some player not retreating to the line or leaving early from the line every single play. A wide view camera will pick this up, glaringly every game, every weekend. Why is this not called out for what it is? Whether this particular offence directly impacts On The play or not, is it still not an infringement? If you do not retreat to the refs mark (let’s not call it ten, that’s an entire other article for discussion, another time) then that is off side. Plain and simple. Blow your whistle, call it for what it is. Continue to blow for repeated infringements. If the defensive team still do not get the message, then every investor in the game of rugby league would be happy to see an offender sent to the bin. After all, this is how we see rugby league officiated at every other level, every other weekend... Is it not?
Ben Pobjie
Expert
Those poor Raiders. Will they ever find justice?
Muzz
Guest
You're scarred. Unfortunately the Raiders weren't good enough last season when the window was ever so slightly open.
Tim Gore
Expert
No, Bellyache keeps his window closed... I can assure you that due to covid there were no people below there at all.
Tim Gore
Expert
I am dying to know what you were going to say.
Tim Gore
Expert
Thanks Bill. Most appreciated.
Bill
Guest
Thank you for the article Tim, I think you're 100% on the money and thought this was a balanced take on an issue that is impacting not just the Raiders, but all clubs. It's just a shame, I don't think NRL HQ is listening, or understands there's a problem - I suppose it's as much protecting their image and brand as anything. Deny (really it's self-denial) the problem exists is a strategy I've seen used before in other business too. Certainly, they don't give the impression they are willing to take this issue on. Anyway, thanks for the post and the effort you've gone to making it. It is appreciated! Thanks, Bill
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
Yep, Bellamy gets angry at his players. He doesn't chuck water bottles out in the crowd. You can't have so called leaders of our game - which is what coaches are - throwing missiles out of their cosy lair.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
Des Hasler