Rub of the green: How many penalties, set restarts each NRL team has been awarded and conceded in 2025

We break down how many penalties and set restarts every side has been awarded and has conceded in 2025 to discover which teams are on the good side of the whistle.

Do NRL referees really give the better teams in the competition the rub of the green?

Or is it merely a refereeing conspiracy theory held by mostly disgruntled coaches and fans.

In the wake of the Wests Tigers 18-14 loss to Penrith in Round 14, Tigers boss Shane Richardson suggested two decisive penalties handed to Jarome Luai were influenced by the club’s spot on the ladder.

“I’ve learned over the years, though, that refereeing decisions never really go your way when you’re battling up the ladder,” he said.

But CODE Sports NRL stats reveal that only one club has received more penalties in their favour than the Tigers in 2025.

On Sunday, Cronulla (first) and Brisbane (seventeenth) - a club fighting to turn around its on-field fortunes - will test the theory as the clubs with the best and worst record for infringement differentials, respectively.

We take a look at how your club is faring, and where your side ranks by the infringement differential (the difference between penalties and set restarts awarded to those conceded), when it comes to the referees whistle and the set restart bell in 2025.

Originally published as Rub of the green: How many penalties, set restarts each NRL team has been awarded and conceded in 2025