Phil Gould’s savage NRL spray over judiciary handling of Wighton

PENRITH Panthers supremo and Channel 9 commentator Phil Gould has savaged the NRL over its handling of the Jack Wighton shoulder charge controversy.

PENRITH Panthers supremo and Channel 9 commentator Phil Gould has savaged the NRL over its handling of the Jack Wighton shoulder charge controversy.

The Canberra Raiders fullback was found not guilty at the NRL judiciary last night and cleared to play in the finals.

Had Wighton been found guilty over the tackle on Tigers player Joel Edwards he would have been rubbed out of the entire finals series, including the grand final should the Raiders make it that far.

Phil Gould has gone after the NRL over its handling of the Jack Wighton issue.

Posting to Twitter last night and speaking to Big Sports Breakfast this morning, Gould pulled no punches when discussing the Wighton issue.

Gould questioned interpretations of shoulder charges over the years but focused most of his spray on the NRL and its publicly released reasoning as to why Wighton was guilty — only for its own judiciary to overturn the findings.

Fans and players had questioned Wighton being charged at all when Sharks hooker Michael Ennis escaped a charge for a similar incident against the Storm on Saturday night.

The Jack Wighton hit that saw him charged by the NRL.

“The people that are doing this have absolutely no idea what they’re doing,” Gould said on Big Sports Breakfast this morning.

“I fear for the future of the game with the people that we have in charge at the moment. Honestly.

“The whole shoulder charge thing has been an issue ever since it was first raised a few years ago and they’ve tried to outlaw it.

Those initially responsible for shoulder charge interpretations have a lot to answer for .. https://t.co/PFhlnyWJyi

— Phil Gould (@Gus10Gould) September 6, 2016

“I’ve never really heard a definitive impression or interpretation of it and this week has just been embarrassing for the game.

“I think that the people in at head office need to understand that to the punter in the street they can’t see any discernible difference to the impact of Ennis and Wighton so why does one get charged and not the other.

“I’m glad that Wighton got off. He shouldn’t have been charged.

Someone will have to be held accountable. NRL delivered detailed explanation why Wighton was guilty. Over-turned 😖😖 https://t.co/b9YWlswnPh

— Phil Gould (@Gus10Gould) September 6, 2016

“Having said that there will be a lot of players sitting at home who’ve had to sit out one or two weeks on sidelines for so-called shoulder charges who will be looking at these decision and saying ‘why the hell did I get a suspension’ and that’s the part fans don’t forget.

“To go through the embarrassment of, at the time, charging Wighton (and releasing) a detailed description of why he was guilty and why Ennis wasn’t; to then have it turned over by their own judiciary, it embarrasses the code.

What is a shoulder charge? https://t.co/i5x4xUvjKo

— Phil Gould (@Gus10Gould) September 6, 2016

“Someone needs to be held accountable for that.”

The furore surrounding Wighton has simply added to calls for the NRL to overhaul the judiciary system and how players are charged.

Inconsistencies, particularly around the touching of match officials, has dogged the game for much of the 2016 season.

I don't rate what he did as illegal tackle. But plenty of players have been suspended for far less. They make it up https://t.co/0mmpBuR3lI

— Phil Gould (@Gus10Gould) September 6, 2016

####

Originally published as Phil Gould’s savage NRL spray over judiciary handling of Wighton