Brent Read: The NRL could not ignore Phil Gould’s latest criticism of the code

Nobody wants to silence Phil Gould, but his constant sledging of the NRL has finally reached breaking point, and the Bulldogs’ head of football can’t say he wasn’t warned.

Phil Gould can’t say he wasn’t warned. Last year, as the NRL grappled with a stream of bile directed their way from the Bulldogs head of football and Nine commentator, chief executive Andrew Abdo sat down with powerbrokers from his club and outlined the situation.

Gould was a club official and as such, he was answerable to the same code of conduct that binds every official in the game.

You can question rule changes and decisions. You can even say the NRL got them wrong. But you can’t spray invective in any and every direction, and expect to get away with it.

By the letter of the law, you can’t say or do anything that is detrimental to or brings into disrepute the best interests, image or welfare of the NRL and the competition.

Gould had pushed the NRL to the brink. He was lucky to escape on a couple of occasions 12 months ago when he launched into head office and some of their decision making.

At the start of last season, he criticised the NRL after the Bulldogs were forced to include a $200,000 payment to Josh Jackson in their salary cap.

He doubled down when he was critical of the decision to sin bin Jacob Preston for a hip-drop on Good Friday. Preston was charged and club officials were prevented from speaking on the matter before it was concluded.

Phil Gould is never short of an opinion.

Gould then unloaded on the NRL over the introduction of the independent doctor in the bunker, calling it “the greatest abomination” in the history of rugby league. The comments were irresponsible and rightly drew the ire of head office.

Rival clubs were watching closely. So was head office and Gould was lucky to escape a sanction. Very lucky. This week, his luck finally ran out after another verbal barrage aimed at the NRL.

“Our game’s so stupid,” Gould said on 100% Footy.

“You can lose the ball over the line and it costs you 20m and seven tackles. Why? I don’t know because it’s stupid.

“But I can just take a line drop out and it goes out on the full no consequence. It’s nothing at all – what sort of stupid game is this? Who sits and makes up these rules?”

He wasn’t finished there. On the decision to disallow an Api Koroisau try at the weekend, Gould added: “Api Koroisau try, what the hell was that – what the hell was that?

“We are so stupid with our rules. Our game is stupid.”

Many rugby league fans agreed with those sentiments.

This columnist certainly thought Koroisau’s try should have been awarded, although I can understand why it wasn’t under the existing rule.

The #NRL has finally had enough of Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould’s outbursts on Channel 9, via @brentread_7@MCarayannis

Sport Confidential 👉 https://t.co/2OsY0OThsQpic.twitter.com/I6BY1MYYEF

— Telegraph Sport (@telegraph_sport) May 2, 2024

Yet Gould didn’t just criticise the decision or the rule, he expanded it to the very game itself. The same game that has helped pay his bills for nearly 50 years.

It was a classic rant with rugby league powerbrokers and decision-makers in the crosshairs. Needless to say, it wasn’t well received.

Gould has walked a fine line for some time in his dual roles as club official and commentator. On occasions he has crossed that line and the NRL has let it slide, reluctantly giving him some latitude.

No doubt, they were wary about picking a fight with one of the game’s most powerful and influential figures. On Thursday, they launched a grenade of their own and it may yet prove the catalyst for World War III depending on how Gould responds.

The NRL is flying at the moment. Ratings are up. Crowds are up. The game is in good shape yet the loudest voice on one of its broadcast partners was running the game down.

Telling anyone and everyone that it was stupid. Not once, but over and over again.

The NRL understands that criticism is part of the game but they would prefer it doesn’t come from within.

They are powerless to act against other broadcasters or media because the vast majority are not registered club officials. The handful who are will continue to be held to a higher standard.

Gould is the most prominent and outspoken. He is also the most vitriolic so unless he changes his way, he will continue to be in the NRL’s crosshairs. The fines will keep going up.

The only way that will change is if he walks away from the Bulldogs, and given the club is on the rise, that appears unlikely.

There’s another concern for Gould in all this. At some point next season the NRL will sit down to begin broadcast negotiations and the stakes will be high.

The NRL will want partners who push the positives rather than rip into it at every turn. It’s not quite #talkthegameup – the hashtag that was championed by former chief executive Todd Greenberg – more a desire for some moderation in the debate and an acknowledgment that things aren’t all that bad.

The NRL has no desire to silence Gould. Nor should they. He is one of the shrewdest minds in the game and when he isn’t tearing the game apart, his views on rugby league are intelligent and enlightening.

Those views are always welcome. As they should be. He just needs to tone it down every now and then.

FLANNO ADDS FUEL TO FIERY RELATIONSHIP WITH SHARKS

Shane Flanagan’s comments about his former club Cronulla after St George Illawarra’s heavy loss last week went down like a lead balloon at the Sharks.

Only moments after the Dragons were put to the sword by the Sydney Roosters on Anzac Day, Flanagan diverted attention from defeat and looked ahead to this Sunday and a date that had been circled in his calendar for some time.

Flanagan is the only man to coach the Sharks to a premiership, a point he was happy to make after the Roosters defeat. He added that they haven’t won one since he left.

Sharks types rolled their eyes. They know Flanagan only too well and they knew this was coming. They wouldn’t expect any less.

They also remember what he did for them at a time when the club was run on the smell of an oily rag. Flanagan gave his blood, sweat, tears to the Sharks and senior figures at the club haven’t forgotten.

They love Craig Fitzgibbon. He may be the best thing that has happened to the Sharks since Flanagan left.

You get the feeling they wouldn’t trade him for any other coach in the game including Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy.

But if Fitzgibbon were to ever leave – and Sharks officials are praying that day is a long time away – don’t rule out Flanagan’s name being mentioned in the corridors of power at Cronulla.

He may have made them bristle with his chip about their lone premiership but he still has plenty of mates at Cronulla and the Dragons’ early-season form suggests he can still sprinkle magic dust when he puts his mind to it.

Originally published as Brent Read: The NRL could not ignore Phil Gould’s latest criticism of the code