NRL Grand Final: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves claims he was told he had won the Clive Churchill Medal
A technical error on the NRL’s voting app prompted confusion over the Clive Churchill medal with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves incorrectly told in private he had won the award.
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A failure to load a voting app has been blamed for the grand final farce that led to Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves being incorrectly told he had won the Clive Churchill Medal.
The code is still reeling from the game-altering referee blunder in which Ben Cummins ruled six again for the Raiders near their try line before changing his mind, prompting a turnover and a game winning Roosters try within 60 seconds.
Television footage post match shows Waerea-Hargreaves lining up next to the stage ready to receive the medal, only to be told at the last minute Canberra’s Jack Wighton had won the award.
The Daily Telegraph understands Channel 9 was moments away from announcing Waerea-Hargreaves as the winner before NRL boss Todd Greenberg told onstage host James Bracey of the change.
Waerea-Hargreaves had also been wrongly told he had won by an NRL on-ground staff member, The Daily Telegraph revealed Monday.
Australian Rugby League Chairman Peter Beattie confirmed someone had erred.
“The reality is there is a process and the process was going on and the person who won frankly was the man who should have won,” Beattie said.
“There were some people who thought they knew what was going on but didn’t. When all the votes were counted, Jack won.
“That’s it. In this game you can’t keep a secret. Everyone wants to know who it is.”
The award is voted on by Australian selectors Laurie Daley, Mal Meninga and Darren Lockyer.
The confusion arose after Lockyer couldn’t put his 3-2-1 votes into a mobile phone app. Before Lockyer voted, Waerea-Hargreaves was leading.
The breakdown in technology forced Lockyer to verbally give his votes to NRL official Frank Puletua as officials scrambled to finalise the result to keep up with television commitments. Lockyer’s votes put Wighton ahead. Puletua then had to rush to the presentation stage to tell Greenberg of the change.
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Greenberg told Bracey as well as other onstage dignitaries, including Bradley Clyde and Luke Ricketson. Bracey remained stoic while others were caught on camera open-mouthed in shock at the change.
Meninga had no idea about the drama until yesterday.
“I wasn’t aware of it,” Meninga said. “From my point of view, it’s done in a safe and secure way. We do it through an app. It’s all personalised. I don’t know what went on.”
It would have been a historic moment had Waerea-Hargreaves won given a New Zealander has never claimed the man-of-the-match prize.
Sam Burgess in 2014 has been the only non-Australian to win the award.
Wighton became the fourth player to win the medal from a losing team, joining Raiders lock Bradley Clyde (1991), St George forward Brad Mackay (1993) and Daly Cherry-Evans (2013).
Wighton, who scored a remarkable individual try, could not hide his disappointment after the game.
“It was a very numb feeling to achieve something so big,” Wighton said. “It was probably the worst moment of my life, losing a grand final.”
Even Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary thought Waerea-Hargreaves had won.
“We all thought Jared was getting it,” Keary said.
“But I thought Jack was outstanding.”
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart hit out at fans who booed Wighton during the ceremony.
“The best player on the field got the award,” Stuart said. “Three legends of our game picked the award. I think they know a little bit more than the wombats sitting in there behind the goals.”
Meanwhile, furious fans have blasted Cummins for his mistake but the NRL has supported the under-fire referee.
“Sometimes things happen that are no one’s fault,” Beattie said. “Nobody is saying Ben went out there to make a bad decision. Of course he didn’t.
“We will support him because at the end of the day if people keep vilifying referees no one will want to do this job.
“You’ve just got to make sure you do (support them).”
Beattie also praised Ricky Stuart’s post-game press conference in which the Canberra coach refused to be drawn into the match officials.
“Ricky Stuart was incredibly classy,” Beattie said.
COMEDY OF ERRORS:
Grand final Buzz: Disgraceful call story of NRL season
All year we’ve feared a refereeing error would decide the premiership and on Sunday night it did.
Your columnist has been writing about it and sounding like a broken record since March.
The Canberra Raiders’ dream of a fairytale grand final victory ended in blazing controversy in the dying minutes of what had been a wonderful grand final.
Jack Wighton took a tackle deep in Roosters territory when Ben Cummins waved his arm to rule six again — then changed his mind. This was a disgraceful call on the Raiders.
NRL GRAND FINAL SHAME: ‘WORST CALL IN HISTORY’
A great drought was going to end either way at ANZ Stadium.
Instead it was Federal Highway robbery that overshadowed a blockbuster grand final and a Roosters historic 14-8 win.
Canberra fans were left heartbroken and rightly so.
With the scores level and the Raiders on the attack, lead referee Ben Cummins signalled six to go from a kick for the Raiders — only to change his mind and rule a handover when Canberra’s livewire five-eighth Jack Wighton was tackled.
Wighton rightly protested but the Roosters were given the ball just metres from their line.
LOST AND FOUND: ROOSTERS SUPPORTER FINDS CRONK’S GF RING IN ESKY
He’s already got five locked away but Cooper Cronk’s sixth premiership ring went missing in the Sydney Roosters change-room after the NRL grand final.
As the retiring halfback great fielded final questions from the media, a Sydney Roosters insider approached with the glittering prize in hand.
A search party had been scouring the changeroom for the ring, which is worth $10,000 and has 160 diamonds, finally located in an esky.
“I found it for you,” she said, handing over the ring to Cronk. “You’re a godsend,” he told her.
The veteran said he lost it during the team’s immediate post-match celebrations.
Originally published as NRL Grand Final: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves claims he was told he had won the Clive Churchill Medal
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