Senior referee Grant Atkins and his touch judges have paid the price for their error in allowing Newcastle to score off the eighth tackle at a crucial stage of Sunday’s win over the Rabbitohs.
Atkins and fellow officials Phil Henderson and Dave Munro have been dropped from Round 26 on-field duties with Atkins demoted to bunker official for three matches.
Head of football Graham Annesley conceded the match officials erred in allowing a Newcastle set to run for eight tackles midway through the 29-10 defeat of the Rabbitohs.
The Knights had been due a seven-tackle set after Souths five-eighth Cody Walker kicked the ball dead.
Referee Grant Atkins talks to Tyson Frizell of the Knights and Cameron Murray of the Rabbitohs. (Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)
But the referees lost count after some chaotic goal-line defence that led to two Newcastle play-the-balls in quick succession from much the same spot on the field, before Daniel Saifiti scored on the eighth tackle of the set.
“There’s no excuse for it, it’s a straight miss by the referees,” Annesley said.
Annesley, however, backed the decision to award the Knights a later try after the ball ricocheted into Atkins.
The shot constituted a mutual infringement, not the fault of either team. Such infringements are policed at the referee’s discretion.
Atkins determined Adam Clune would still have scored the subsequent try had the ball’s path not been impeded, given he and Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland were closer to the ball than any Souths player.
Wests Tigers chair Lee Hagipantelis is at loggerheads with a fans podcast after they made claims about how he tried to lure Mitchell Moses back to the club from Parramatta.
He has threatened legal action against the WestsLife podcast after co-hosts Rob Bechara and Josh Barnett ridiculed his efforts to sign Moses earlier this year when the star halfback was weighing up lucrative offers from the Eels and Tigers.
“I should drop a bombshell on you guys,” Bechara said on the podcast.
“It’s actually quite embarrassing for Hagipantelis but rather funny. When things were turning sour with Mitchell Moses, he was so desperate to get Mitchell Moses to the club that he actually told Mitchell Moses that if he signs with the Wests Tigers he will pick him up every day in his Ferrari and drive him to Concord.”
Barnett responded with: “Is he 16 years old? That’s actually really creepy,” he said. “Did he have a Chupa Chup in his hand for him as well? I mean, Jesus Christ.”
Hagipantelis has denied ever making contact with Moses during the negotiations and demanded an apology.
“Podcasters are perfectly entitled to hold an opinion or criticise the club, myself or [chief executive] Justin Pascoe,” Hagipantelis told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“That is not an issue. However, if my character and reputation are defamed in a public setting, then there are legal consequences. I note this has been acknowledged by the gentleman in question given they have unreservedly apologised.”
The podcasters issued an apology via their Facebook page and also said sorry on their most recent episode.
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