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Canterbury veteran Josh Reynolds has apologised for swearing at referee Grant Atkins in the round-nine win over St George Illawarra but general manager Phil Gould claims it was an overreaction by the whistleblower.
Reynolds lashed out at Atkins at halftime of Sunday’s game, claiming it was “bullshit” he had been penalised for illegally applying pressure to Tyrell Sloan’s neck as he tackled the fullback minutes earlier.
Known for his dim view of referee abuse, Atkins pulled Reynolds to one side for a stern lecture and warned Bulldogs captain Reed Mahoney the utility would be ordered from the field if he misspoke again.
“It was an overreaction,” Gould said on 100% Footy. “You can’t swear to the referee, it’s simple. He didn’t abuse the referee, he didn’t call the referee a name, he didn’t question his integrity or anything like that.
“What he was referring to was what the referee had accused him of, which he didn’t do, that’s what he said. But we’ll counsel Josh on the way he speaks to the referees.
“The other reaction was very emotional (from Atkins) and as a referee he needs to be helped in that regard as well.”
The match review committee had originally intended to let the incident slide but at the urging of NRL CEO Andrew Abdo, proposed a grade-one contrary conduct charge and a $1000 fine.
A contrite Reynolds regretted setting a poor example for young fans.
“I am really sorry for all the kids that had to hear that,” Reynolds told The Big Sports Breakfast. “It’s obviously not a great look. I love being a role-model for the young kids.”
Reynolds claimed he had lashed out in self-admonishment for conceding the penalty and had not intended to disrespect the referee.
“Costing my team a penalty like that kills me. Hopefully people can understand that I was fairly riled up,” he said. “I’ll be honest and say that I wish I chose my wording a bit better. I really do mean that. One hundred per cent.
“To clear everything up, it wasn’t an actual personal attack on the ref. It wasn’t about him at all. It was more about the situation.
“I’m sure people can understand that, in the heat of battle, as a player, I’m allowed to ask a question and I’m allowed to have an opinion on that call.”
Abdo’s decision to step in marks the first time he or any member of the ARL Commission have used their power to refer matters for further inspection after it was introduced last March.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
The rule was used by Newcastle earlier this year when they wanted an Isaiah Papali’i hit on Jack Johns sent for further review.
“There is a process under the judiciary rules that allows the board and CEO of a club or game to ask for the match review committee to further review an incident,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.
“That is a normal part of our process and has been used in the past. It comes down to making sure things don’t fall through the cracks.”
with AAP
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has defended the NRL’s controversial plan to stage two matches in Las Vegas to kick off next season by claiming it will be a financial winner due to the influx of sports betting it could attract.
V’landys is adamant the US sports betting market is “looking for wagering content outside the time zones” in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
The NRL is hoping to stage a double-header in Vegas to start the 2024 season with Manly, South Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and the Roosters the frontrunners for the four slots and as part of the ambitious plan, the league wants to coincide it with a boxing world title fight or UFC event.
“Rugby league is the perfect one for that. What hit me with our overseas broadcast is that we don’t promote it,” he told the SMH.
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“We get money for it, but we can get a lot more for it. There are two strands in my eyes we can get extra revenue from: the broadcast subscription but, if we can put that with a wagering operator, you can get two times the revenue. If you’re betting on the product, you’ll subscribe to the broadcast.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
“Rugby league is a tribal entertainment product. What wagering does is add a little bit more entertainment onto the already fantastic product. I’m in a tipping contest at work, so I watch every game. If I have a bet on a first try-scorer, it gives you a little more enjoyment.”
He then tried to claim Australia’s infatuation with betting on the NBA could be replicated but when it was pointed out that basketball is a global sport, he countered with: “That’s why this has to be a long-term plan. You see, this can be a massive event in Vegas. Someone told me the other day this has the potential to take over from G’day USA as the No.1 event in America each year to promote Australia.”
In trying to justify his argument, he said “anything we do goes back to the clubs, players, and participation. Let’s say our revenue is $100. The clubs get $21, the players get $41, and participation gets $40. The rest is left for us to buy assets.”
The only problem is that those numbers don’t up. When told that totalled $102, he joked: “I’ve never been a good accountant. Look, there’s a cake and we split up the cake.”
V’landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo will travel to the US in the next couple of weeks to hopefully seal a deal.
“I’m confident, but every piece of Lego must join up. I’m not doing it to fail. The next two weeks will be telling,” he said.
Melbourne will host 2022 NRL grand finalists Penrith and Parramatta at Marvel Stadium after being forced out of their usual home ground due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Storm’s round-18 clash with champions Penrith on June 30 will be played under the closed roof at the 55,000-seat stadium along with the round-22 meeting with Parramatta on July 28.
With AAMI Park out of action during both months due to the soccer tournament, the Storm considered shifting their scheduled home games interstate.
But club boss Justin Rodski said Melbourne were reluctant to do so after spending so much time out of Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When it was clear that AAMI Park would not be available and we would have to take our home games elsewhere, a key factor for us was looking after our members and fans,” Rodski said in a statement on Tuesday.
“They gave us such great support over the disrupted 2020 and 2021 seasons when we had to relocate interstate, and then backed up by helping us to set new records in membership last year.”
The Storm played out of the Docklands Stadium for a season in 2001 and have since returned for a number of other games, while the venue has also hosted two State of Origin matches.
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