Andrew Abdo, what the hell are you doing?
I had real hope that your reign as NRL CEO would be marked by competence and consistency.
And then you fined the Canberra Raiders trainer $10,000.
Let’s be totally frank about this: last Friday night, Panther Stephen Crichton’s actions were disgraceful.
While celebrating Charlie Staines’ game-sealing try against the Canberra Raiders, Crichton loutishly dragged Raider Joe Tapine into the Panthers throng. Then he and his teammates had a great time letting Tapine know all about it.
However, Tapine wasn’t even on the field at the time. He was waiting to be interchanged and was standing off the field of play when Crichton decided it appropriate to manhandle him.
Crichton rightly was fined $1350 by the NRL for being a complete tool. That might not be the official term, but it is certainly the correct one.
The Panthers back should count himself lucky it was only that amount and not an accompanying suspension as well.
During this incident that was totally of the Panthers’ making, a Raiders blue shirt trainer very briefly placed a hand on a Panthers player’s shoulder.
On Wednesday Andrew Abdo called Raiders CEO Don Furner Junior and told him that the club would be fined $10,000 for that action.
I don’t think there has been a more vocal critic than me in regard to trainers being involved in any way with the play. I have been railing against the seemingly unfettered access trainers have to the field since 2015. I am totally against it and have stated for years that trainers should be kept off the field and if they have any untoward involvement that they should be dealt with harshly.
So please understand that, although the Panthers completely caused this particular issue, and although it was not on the field of play and play was halted, I support the Raiders being punished for the action, no matter how ineffectual it was.
What I don’t support is the massively disproportionate level of punishment that was handed out. Firstly, for the Raiders to be fined $8650 more than Crichton is just wrong. Surely, at a minimum, the amounts had to be the same.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
While trainers should never touch an opposition player, players must never pick fights – which is what Crichton did – with those not involved on the field of play.
This was not a standard melee that the Raiders trainer was involved in by any means.
What Crichton did basically amounted to grabbing a benched player, dragging him into a huddle of his teammates and then deliberately goading him. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the play, didn’t involve a player on the ground and didn’t even take place on the field. That is just not on.
Given that circumstance, how Abdo can see the trainer’s hand on a shoulder as being $8650 worse than Crichton’s deplorable behaviour is beyond me. It’s plain wrong and totally unjust.
However, that’s not the only reason Abdo’s fine is ludicrous.
It is also completely out of step with previous punishments handed out – or not handed out – by the NRL to trainers who got involved with the play.
In 2016 when Alfie Langer directly interfered with the game, totally in contravention of the rules, the NRL did absolutely nothing. No fine and no suspension whatsoever.
A few weeks later when then-Souths trainer Kurt Wrigley manhandled then-Panthers player Tyrone Peachey to get the ball – again totally in contravention of the rules – the NRL quietly suspended Wrigley for one match with no accompanying fine at all. Hear that again: Wrigley manhandled a player to get the ball and the NRL issued no monetary fine whatsoever.
Then, in the biggest game of 2019, the Roosters’ orange shirt trainer Travis Touma was on the field in only the third minute of play and – against the direct standing orders of the ground manager – remains behind the Roosters line for the fifth tackle play. The ball is charged down and ricochets into Touma who bats it away. The NRL neither suspends Touma nor fines the Roosters.
Now Andrew Abdo – who has been at NRL HQ since 2013 – has fined the Raiders $10,000 for their trainer’s extremely minimal contact.
Mr Abdo, with all due respect, that is a total crock of shit.
However, I’m just screaming into the void. As has become all too apparent in the last decade, the NRL is effectively a private company and answerable to no one. The employees of this closed club – and who knows how most of them got their positions — can do as they please as a result.
That includes this sort of totally inconsistent, disproportionate and incompetent ruling.
They can do as they like with only an occasional scapegoating happening to the unlucky few. There is no ability to appeal to an independent authority or to have a person’s suitability for their role assessed.
But please know this Andrew Abdo, your handling of this matter has been pathetic and it totally deserves our derision and opprobrium.
Andrew Windsor
Guest
Tim it's not really valid to decry the lack of action on previous incidents and then claim inconsistency when the League change tack and do something. Your previous stance has been spot on - trainers getting involved needs t obe stamped out, and if it happens that the Raiders are first to suffer that's just unfortunate. I also agree that the fine for the Penrith peanut is way too low, but player fines always are.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Tim I think you’re getting a little emotional over this. While I agree with you that the trainer shouldn’t have been fined because this was essentially a non-event. To throw out the “deplorable” hyperbole on Chrighton is a bit much don’t you think? I get you’re an avid Raiders fan and the trainer copping worse is a fair gripe, but let’s be honest here. This whole thing was a non-event and any fine what so ever was a massive over reaction.
Beni Iniesta
Guest
"A few weeks later when then-Souths trainer Kurt Wrigley manhandled then-Panthers player Tyrone Peachey to get the ball – again totally in contravention of the rules – the NRL quietly suspended Wrigley for one match with no accompanying fine at all. Hear that again: Wrigley manhandled a player to get the ball and the NRL issued no monetary fine whatsoever." A much worse penalty. Ask anyone involved with the game and they will ALL SAY they would much rather be fined $10,000 than be forced to miss a game. Much rather. It's not even close. So this penalty was FAR WORSE than a mere $10,000 fine!
matth
Roar Guru
100% agree in this one Tim
Gus O
Roar Rookie
I thought the outstanding behaviour was from Tapine who really kept his head and did nothing to escalate the situation. His behaviour made me wonder if he has some relationship with the Penrith players, does anyone know if there is a connection?
Gus O
Roar Rookie
I thought the outrage over the rebound hitting the trainer in the 2019 GF missed the point, the point being that it should have been a penalty to Easts for the Canberra player attacking the legs of the kicker. Clear penalty for mine. AND, i would have completely agreed with Easts being fined for the trainer loitering on the field... i had understood this was already contrary to the rules. The NRL needs to apply rules and standards consistently, it’s the inconsistency that frustrates me. I get that in this instance the trainer deliberately became involved, but if i was a Canberra fan this would feel like the NRL administrators are rubbing salt into a wound that is not yet healed.
elvis
Roar Rookie
Yeah, it was pretty feeble, I wasn't sure if that was what everyone was up in arms about or there was something more. I just think it's just silly to penalise someone for very normal human reactions when a brawl rolls over you.
Greg
Roar Pro
I agree with the sentiment and if it was only the initial touch he may have not been sanctioned. But he had a 2nd grab trying feebly to pull Panthers out of the melee.
Greg
Roar Pro
I agree Crichton's penalty should have been heavier. Both because i agree that Tapine was no an active player and because as Nat says its about as bad as contrary conduct gets. There has been grounds for discretional fines and suspensions in the past and could have been hete. But it should not be proportional to what the Raiders fine is for the actions of the trainer. Simply because as Nat has explained one is a personal fine and the other a club fine.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Thanks Emcie. I never missed controversy corner with Rex Mossop, Noel Kelly, Ferris Ashton and Col Pearce. Go Dragons.
Nat
Roar Guru
I don't know if there is a facility to fine staffers directly and I cannot find an example of it within 10pages of google. Plenty of clubs being fined for staffer actions though.
Nat
Roar Guru
Still waiting for Tim to jump in for you? Or anyone? No. This is where you are.
eels47
Roar Rookie
Figures. I guess you can't as there is no correlation. Thanks for trying though.
Tim Gore
Expert
One last time and then I give up: it’s not indignation: it is the rules! if trainers, coaches or players on the bench are not under any circumstances allowed to interfere with the play or the players on the field, then conversely the players on the field can also not touch trainers, coaches or players on the bench. The rule is to keep play to the field and minimise risk. If a player deliberately goes and grabs a trainer, coach or player not interchanged onto the field then they have transgressed just as badly as a trainer who touches a player. It’s the same offence. And if they don’t know if a player has been interchanged on or not, how can they be angry enough with them to grab them?!? They can only be taking random, unprovoked action. Further, maybe they should also not be the type of fool that does what Crichton did. Then they need not worry about keeping track of who has been interchanged and who hasn’t. Don’t be a fool and there is zero problem.
Tim Gore
Expert
Well I tried... I can’t help it if you can’t grasp the concept. But you really don’t get it at all. And my position has not changed one iota.
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Way to go Tim, play the man, not the ball. I don't know what I did to deserve your mocking in two replies, but anyhow. Your indignation seems to be because Tapine was interchange. As I said, assuming Crichton had no idea that was the case, what you are left with is a player mocking another player and causing the usual shirt pulling, evil stares and jostling. Something you see on a regular basis in the NRL and since Crichton was a goose, he got a deserved fine. What you don't see every week is a trainer running to get involved in a melee and grabbing players. That is most certainly out of the ordinary and needs to be stamped out before something bad happens like a player punching a trainer. What the trainer did was far worse that Crichtons theatrics and needed to be dealt with harshly.
danwain
Roar Rookie
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Emcie
Roar Guru
Give it up, you've done a full 180 since yesterday and now you seem to think refusing to budge on an objectively wrong opinion makes it somehow right and deliberately taking things out of context and putting words in peoples mouths makes them wrong. Don't waste my time if all you've got is juvenile arguments my kids wouldn't even try
Tim Gore
Expert
It’s not a straw man. They are the same offence. If the player is off the field he can’t get involved. And conversely he can’t be touched by those on the field. It swings both ways. It must. It’s very, very, very simple. You just don’t get it for some reason.
Emcie
Roar Guru
You have a knack for seeing things in your own unique special way