NRL referees are on notice for failure to sanction players using sin bins on head-high tackles

Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield has launched a spray of the NRL Match Review Committee over their lack of action taken on Bulldogs star Reed Mahoney for a “shocking cheap shot”. It comes as the NRL puts all clubs on notice for foul play.

Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield has slammed the NRL Match Review Committee for their lack of action taken against Reed Mahoney for a “shocking” incident on the weekend.

Speaking on NRL 360, Buzz disagreed with the rest of the panel over the severity of the moment where Mahoney piled-on Daniel Atkinson, believing the Bulldogs hooker should have been punished harder.

“This is a shocking incident,” Rothfield said.

“A player lying on the ground totally unprotected ... The left forearm attacks the head, if you think that’s all right, you have no idea.

“They (match review committee) stuffed that up. I can tell you that top officials in the NRL were absolutely shocked Reed Mahoney isn’t sitting out for at least one week after that cheap shot.

“If that’s in the rules we might as well all give up ... This game is tough enough.

Reed Mahoney piles on Daniel Atkinson.

“I actually think it’s that serious that it’s about time some senior players in our game call out Reed Mahoney for what he did the other night.

“The match review committee got that hopelessly wrong.”

NRL PUTS ALL CLUBS ON NOTICE

The NRL has put all 17 clubs on notice after a wild weekend of foul play which resulted in a slew of charges and a concession from head office that the match officials had erred in failing to use the sin bin to sanction players for contact with the head.

In a leaked email sent to all clubs and obtained by this masthead, NRL head of football Graham Annesley admitted that the match officials had failed to adhere to the policy that has been in place in recent seasons.

It is understood the NRL was particularly concerned with four incidents which were penalised and placed on report by referees, but failed to result in use of the sin bin.

Reed Mahoney high shot.

It is also understood that at least two referees are facing the axe given their failure to act against foul play at the weekend.

The four players involved – Wests Tigers superstar Jarome Luai, Brisbane back rower Jordan Riki, Dolphins enforcer Tom Gilbert and Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney – were all charged by the match review committee and face either fines or suspensions.

However, none of the four were sin binned and the NRL made it clear on Monday that the decision to allow them to stay on the field should not be viewed as a precedent for further incidents involving contact with the head.

Annesley also made it clear that the match officials in each case had made a mistake in not using the sin bin to sanction those involved.

Jarome Luai hit vs Warriors

“There were several incidents of foul play in round 4 where on-field action by match officials fell short of policy that has been in place for several seasons,” Annesley wrote.

“Of particular concern, on four occasions the sin bin was not used for incidents involving direct forceful contact with the head/neck of opponents.

“The lack of appropriate on-field action in these cases should not be seen as a precedent for future similar incidents.

“Match officials have been shown these incidents today to reinforce their errors in applying NRL policy, and clubs should expect the required standard to be implemented throughout the remainder of the season.”

Gilbert and Riki were both charged with grade two careless high tackles by the match review committee and face time on the sidelines even with an early guilty plea.

Luai was also charged with a grade two offence and faces at least a one-game ban while Mahoney was only a grade one offence, leaving him facing a fine.

Jordan Riki was allowed to stay on after this hit.

Yet all four were allowed to continue playing after their respective incidents, prompting the NRL to reach out to clubs to admit their mistake and warn it wouldn’t happen again.

Annesley also raised concerns over a recent spate of incidents involving shoulder contact with the head. He advised clubs that players needed to address the “technique” and lower their target area.

“A further matter of concern so far this season has been an increased incidence of ‘shoulder to head ‘contact by defenders,” Annesley wrote.

“This is a tackling technique issue that needs to be addressed, and players must lower their target area to avoid the risk of contact with the head/neck of opponents.”

Originally published as NRL referees are on notice for failure to sanction players using sin bins on head-high tackles