The NRL has told referees to properly follow conversion protocols, promising there will be no embarrassing repeat of Nathan Cleary’s preliminary final misplacement in the grand final.
Cleary took a conversion from well infield of where he should have after Penrith’s second try against Melbourne on Saturday.
The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley estimated the kick position was seven metres out of place, with head office lucky the Panthers halfback missed the shot.
The onus for the error has been put squarely on officials, with Annesley confirming it was on both referee Gerard Sutton and the touch judge to line up the kick.
Under the NRL’s official processes, the touch judge is meant to stand where the try is scored, before the referee walks backwards to line up where the shot is taken.
But Annesley admitted that process had fallen by the wayside, and told referees it had to be followed correctly in Sunday’s decider between South Sydney and Penrith and beyond.
“That process failed and it shouldn’t have failed. And it won’t fail again in the grand final,” Annesley said.
“I have made it absolutely clear that the process needs to be reinforced to the referees.”
It’s not the first time such drama has struck a finals match, with a 2014 golden-point semi-final between Manly and Canterbury having a similar issue when the Sea Eagles took a kick at a wider point from where the try was scored.
Meanwhile, Annesley said the NRL would not release findings from investigations into concussion checks.
Jarome Luai created headlines at the weekend when he claimed he “blacked out” when hit high by Cameron Munster in Saturday’s preliminary final.
The Penrith five-eighth was taken from the field for HIA and later returned, telling media afterwards he passed his check “pretty easily”.
All HIAs are reviewed by the NRL, but the league has a long-standing policy of not releasing findings.
Annesley on Monday said players can be “a bit loose with how they express themselves”, and stood by the NRL’s position.
“These are matters that are dealt with by ethical and medical people,” he said.
“It’s not our position to question their judgment in terms of the medical decisions they make.
“The medical people involved are doctors who are entitled not to have their medical opinion questioned publicly.”
When put to him that it would clear doctors if the findings of high-interest cases were released, Annesley was adamant the NRL was not trying to hide anything.
“It’s a bit like saying these are all the drivers who drove under the speed limit,” he said.
Andy
Guest
Or come up with a whole new type of stuff up.
Otsuble
Roar Rookie
So they appoint Sutton? What a joke!
Ian_
Roar Rookie
How we get a failure of one of the most basic things officials are responsible for beats me. Just outright incompetence/negligence. And while the ref and touch judge were out there screwing this up, was the bunker asleep? Surely if anyone there had been paying attention they might just have said "hey Gerry, he's not lining up on the right mark".
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
The fusion of sport and government is almost complete...
mushi
Roar Guru
Are you saying we should have access to the players medical records? That is a new depth of fan entitlement
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
NRL = Normative Reactive Leadership. I have never seen an organisation that continually fails to get ahead of situations as much as the NRL. These things are not difficult to predict, and not difficult to police. Wait until a team scores a try on the 7th tackle , then introduce protocols so 40 individuals count the tackles so it ever happens again.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
BM, the head injury findings are rather mystifying . What on earth are they trying to hide . The fact they won't release them says they really don't have a clue. It's one of the big talking points every week regardless of what side is involved . I'm really sick to death smoke and mirrors garbage that Annesley produces week after week .
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Monday's Tales from Doctor Spin. The fact that Cleary missed the conversion attempt doesn’t negate the fact that Cleary tried to cheat and the touch judge allowed it to happen. 2 weeks in a row touchies have allowed Penrith to bend the rules to suit themselves. Spin Doc Annesley had nothing to offer on Cleary not coming off for a head assessment, or Cleary's illegal tackle that above the horizontal, with a hand between the legs and drives the player into the ground and gets no charge, none at all. not even a fine. Or how about addressing unsportsmanlike behaviour like Crichton throwing Olam's boot over the Suncorp Stadium sideline after the Storm centre was tackled? Despite all this the Spin Doctor Award goes to Luai who "passed a HIA and returned to action in the second half" and told he "blacked out" and "was sort of dizzy". Asked about Luai's comments, Spin Doc Annesley said: "Sometimes how players express themselves after games, maybe they are a bit loose with how they describe some things that take place in the game." He vigorously defended the integrity of the medical professionals who evaluate potential concussions and determine whether players can return to the field following a head knock. Seriously, what a joke!
Mutley
Roar Rookie
I'm sure they will miss something else while concertrating really hard on where tries are scored