NRL: Graham Annesley concedes it’s a ‘fine line’ for referees to determine if there is an act of foul play to activate 18th man
NRL head of football Graham Annesley says the 18th man rule ‘won’t solve every situation’ after questions were raised about foul play.
NRL
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NRL head of football Graham Annesley concedes it’s a “fine line” for time-pressured referees to activate the 18th man rule following two controversial incidents on the weekend.
Annesley’s admission comes after Newcastle back-rower Tyson Frizell was placed on report before later escaping a charge for a high tackle on Gold Coast winger Phillip Sami, who left the field for a HIA in the opening minutes and failed to return.
However, because Frizell wasn’t sent to the bin for the incident, the Titans were unable to replace Sami with their 18th man.
In the Raiders versus Panthers clash on Friday night, questions were raised when Canberra’s Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was ruled out of the game due to a Viliame Kikau tackle.
The hit was not placed on report, nor was Kikau later cited by the judiciary, and as a result, the Raiders could not activate their 18th man.
Earlier in the week, the NRL signed off on the new rule that would allow a club to replace an injured player if they had three HIAs in one match or if a player was injured because of foul play.
However, one concern with the rule heading into the weekend was that a player could only be replaced under the foul play condition if the offending player were either sent to the bin or sent off.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook urged the NRL should look to change their 18th man rule after an incident involving Sami early in their clash with Newcastle last Saturday.
Annesley understands Holbrook’s frustrations but believes Frizell not being charged justifies the rules around the 18th man.
“In some ways, the fact there was no charge in the Sami incident backs that up,” Annesley said.
“If the Titans had the opportunity to put on an 18th player and it is ultimately found that Frizell did not commit an offence, that is an issue in itself.
“I heard the Titans coach make his post-game comments, but the reason why players have to be sent to the sin bin or off the field to activate the 18th player rule is because it has to be a relatively serious incident.”
However, Annesley admits it’s difficult for officials to make decisions under tight timeframes in a live match.
“Between the referee and the bunker, they have to form a view that there was no foul play very quickly,” he said.
“And it’s one the match review committee still might not agree with, so there is not a perfect answer to this.
“We made the rule change to find a happy medium between relieving teams who have lost players to a foul act or concussion, but it is a fine line and officials have to make the decision quickly.
“It won’t solve every situation, but it will help in certain circumstances, and that was the intention of the rule change.”
Originally published as NRL: Graham Annesley concedes it’s a ‘fine line’ for referees to determine if there is an act of foul play to activate 18th man
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