State of Origin 2021 penalty, sin bin crackdown will be enforced by referee Gerard Sutton
Despite fears rugby league’s $100 million showpiece event risks being ruined, referee Gerard Sutton has been given strict orders.
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NRL head of football Graham Annesley has put NSW and Queensland players on notice, warning the code’s elite stars will be sin-binned if they are guilty of illegal high shots in Origin I on Wednesday night.
There are fears rugby league’s $100 million showpiece event risks being ruined unless leniency is shown following the NRL’s crackdown on high shots which marred Magic Round three weeks ago.
But on the eve of the series opener, Annesley says the NRL will not go soft and has urged referee Gerard Sutton to maintain the same standards of officiating exhibited at club level to remove high shots from rugby league.
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That means zero tolerance for NSW and Queensland players, who face being sin-binned, or sent-off altogether, in the event of a reckless high tackle in Origin’s debut at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Asked if there will be leniency for Game One, Annesley said: “No, the standards will be the same as they have been in recent weeks.
“I expect the rules will be applied to Origin in accordance with the policy that was introduced before Magic Round.
“From our point of view, things won’t change just because it is State of Origin.
“If there are illegal and forceful hits to the head, players will be sent to the sin bin.
“We will be firm and consistent on that.”
Queensland coach Paul Green and his NSW counterpart Brad Fittler have flagged plans to seek a meeting with NRL referees boss Jared Maxwell for clear instructions on officiating for Origin I, including his view on high shots.
Privately, there is a view referee Sutton will put the whistle away to avoid Origin being marred by a spate of penalties and sin bins, but Annesley insists NRL bosses will not allow Origin I to become open slather.
“I have no issue at all if the coaches want to meet with Jared Maxwell to have discussions around what will be expected for Origin,” he said.
“I honestly believe players are getting the message.
“We have seen fewer incidents in recent weeks and that’s not because of a change in refereeing interpretations, it’s because players have addressed their tackling style.
“If the same illegal tackle happens in Origin that we see in the NRL, I will expect the same outcome from the officials.”
State of Origin is regularly the highest-rating television broadcast of the year, with an audience of around four million expected to tune in on Wednesday night.
The application of rugby league’s rules has generally been relaxed to a degree during Origin, but Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans is confident NSW and Queensland players will not abuse the system.
“Look, the days of Origin thuggery are gone. They have been for years,” Cherry-Evans said.
“The game got cleaned up a long time ago.
“As players we understand the crackdown and why it is happening. It will be interesting to see if it continues and referees are the same in Origin because it has been a strong crackdown.
“We don’t want to put pressure on the referees.
“If there is foul play, they will have to act on that, but for accidental shots, it would be great to see it as a penalty only.
“The product is amazing, 13-on-13, and I don’t want to have to come off the field talking about referees.
“That’s not fair on them, so hopefully we can let the footy do the talking as players, not about what’s going wrong in the game.”
Blues refuse to stoop to milking low
- Paul Crawley
NSW captain James Tedesco and his Blues enforcers have declared they don’t want to win Wednesday night’s State of Origin opener on the back of milking a cheap and “sad” penalty for diving.
After a weekend when the NRL’s high tackle crackdown intensified fan rage over the ever increasing blight on the game, Tedesco declared it was a tactic that he does not approve of even if it means winning a competitive advantage.
“It is not in the spirit of the game to be laying down,” Tedesco said.
“If you are genuinely injured and get hit in the head or concussed or whatever, that is what happens (you get a penalty).
“But laying down for a penalty, that is not really in the spirit of the game, is it?”
Asked if he would talk to his players about it, he replied: “No.”
He said the culture at the Roosters under Trent Robinson does not stand for the tactic.
“Robbo is stern on that, you don’t want to win on cheap wins,” he added.
“You want to win the right way.
“I don’t feel like we need to speak about that.”
Wests Tigers fullback Daine Laurie and Gold Coast’s Tyrone Peachey both caused social media uproar after winning questionable penalties in their games over the weekend.
Tough forwards Jake Trbojevic, Junior Paulo and Daniel Saifiti all agreed with Tedesco.
Trbojevic even said he had spoken to his brother, Tom, about it and they decided it is not part of their game.
“I understand why people are doing it because you get a competitive advantage from it, but it is annoying to watch,” Trbojevic said.
“I definitely wouldn’t do it.”
Even if he copped a tap on the chin?
“No,” he added.
“You know why?
“Because they (the match officials) look at it anyway. You get the penalty anyway the way the game is going. But I just reckon it is not the best look.
“I understand why people do it, I do.
“But it would be really annoying if you lost on the back of it.
“I think we (players) can’t complain the way the game is going if you are going to dive.”
But the unfortunate reality is that there is an increasing amount of players who will push the boundaries after some really infuriating moments over the latest NRL round.
Saifiti added it would be “sad” to see an Origin decided because of diving.
“It is sad. It could ruin the spectacle that is Origin,” he said.
“One of those things could decide the game and that is not even taking it too far.
“There has been a lot of bad ones, especially this weekend that I have seen.
“Guys go down and then when they get the penalty they just stand back up and smile.”
He conceded “to win the game, it is honestly a hard one”, but ultimately “I would have too much of a guilty conscience to be honest with you”.
Paulo added: “We have seen it decide games, you can almost say it is borderline gamesmanship.”
Asked if he felt a tap, would he try and milk the penalty, he laughed: “No, that is not the way we play the game. I think we play fair, but play tough as well.”
Meanwhile, there is no question the referees pulled back on the punishment over the weekend for minor high tackle offences and the players expect that will continue on Wednesday.
Tedesco said discipline would be the key but he is still expecting a very tough and physical contest.
“I think everybody knows about it, it is not like we have to remind each other,” Tedesco said.
“But we want to be disciplined.
“We have obviously talked about being a great defensive side but with that comes discipline.
“Watching the games over the past couple of nights, I feel like they have not been as hard on it.
“I think that is good, especially for Origin level.”
Origin referee Gerard Sutton has already come out and said that he would be policing this match under the same high shot crackdown rules.
“There is no radical change,” Sutton has said.
“The guidelines are, if a defender makes forceful contact to the head, the starting point is a sin bin.”
Sutton said he would have no hesitation sending anyone to the sin bin if it were warranted.
“As far as the (ARL) Commission is concerned, it’s spelled out pretty clearly to us (referees) that the motivation for taking this stance was based on player welfare and its long term effects and the viability of the code,” Sutton added.
Ref’s call: Sin bin rules won’t change for Origin
- David Riccio
State of Origin referee Gerard Sutton has declared Australian sport’s biggest spectacle of the year will be policed under the same head-high crackdown rules that has polarised the NRL.
“There’s no radical change,’’ Sutton said. “The guidelines are, if a defender makes forceful contact to the head, the starting point is a sin bin.”
In the wake of the NRL’s month-long crackdown to eliminate high shots from the game, Sutton has been thrust into an undesirable spotlight ahead of the much-anticipated series opener.
NSW and Queensland will launch the 2021 State of Origin series in Townsville on Wednesday night under pressure to behave like never before — and Blues coach Brad Fittler has flagged a meeting with referees’ boss Jared Maxwell in the hope that “pedantic” refereeing won’t cruel the showpiece event.
Sutton said he would have no hesitation to sin bin the game’s best players, if it was warranted.
“As far as the (ARL) commission is concerned, it’s spelled out pretty clearly to us (referees) that the motivation for taking this stance was based on player welfare and its long-term effects and the viability of the code,’’ Sutton said.
“When that’s the basis of making that stance, neither of those things are reduced in importance just because we’re in the context of Origin.
“We (match officials) will be going in with the same guidelines around head contact. Everyone has had three or four weeks now to adjust, so there shouldn’t be a lot of shock value in that.’’
Sutton spoke to News Corp, giving fans and commentators a clear insight into his mentality of wanting the players to decide the match – not the match officials.
“That’s the case whatever the game is,’’ Sutton said. “But you have the understanding that with the nature of Origin in particular, that’s not always possible.
“You want to do the best job possible and sometimes that will mean, you don’t rate a mention and that’s fantastic.
“Other times, it will put you front and centre – that’s the nature of the job.
“People think we enjoy blowing the whistle – but no one wants a game riddled with penalties.
“Everyone wants the game to flow, we want the game to flow. But if you’re not getting compliance from one team, you still have to referee the game.’’
Sutton began refereeing junior league matches at the age of 12 while growing up in Coonabarabran in country NSW.
In a proud moment, he will officiate his 20th State of Origin on Wednesday night.
He rejected any notion or perception that Origin had a history of being “refereed differently” to a typical NRL game.
“As far as the perception of Origin being refereed differently, the reality is you’ve got 34 of the best players in the competition and they tend to comply that much quicker,’’ Sutton said.
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“The standard of play is better with less errors, so there’s more ball in play and that continuity generally comes easy in the ruck and 10-metres as well. And the penalty is so great at that level that often they adapt to where you put the standard fairly quickly.”
NRL head of football Graham Annesley backed Sutton’s approach to Game I.
“It’s absolutely correct to say the rules that are in place apply to Origin as it does to the Telstra Premiership,’’ Annesley said. “However, we’ve got the best 34 players in the country on the field and they know what is on the line and I would expect that as we’ve seen over the last week or so, players have modified their technique.
“We’ve seen a lot less incidents in recent games and I would expect that to continue in Origin.”
Both Sutton and Annesley’s stand-fast on the crackdown has emerged in the wake of former NSW coach Phil Gould declaring Wednesday night’s series opener could leave both teams decimated.
Fittler has declared he will organise a phone call with Jared Maxwell after viewing what he called “pedantic” refereeing during the Tigers victory Penrith on Friday night.
“We’re getting to a stage where we’re accepting head contact is a part of the game, where I’m the other way. We should be coming down on the thuggery and the over-aggression,” Fittler told Triple M.
“But it was a bit pedantic, last night. It had all the makings of a great game… but it made me a little bit nervous. I’ll give Jared a call and just see his thoughts on last night’s game.”
With no injury concerns, NSW will train for the final time in Sydney on Sunday before flying to Townsville on Monday.
MAROONS VOW TO PROTECT ARROW FROM TEDDY REVENGE
By Travis Meyn and Robert Craddock
The Maroons will adopt a pack mentality to defend under-fire teammate Jai Arrow if the Blues look for revenge over last year’s James Tedesco incident.
Arrow was targeted by Tedesco’s Sydney Roosters teammates earlier this year and is expecting the same from NSW in Wednesday night’s State of Origin series opener in Townsville.
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The Queensland lock endured harsh criticism after he ragdolled a concussed Tedesco during last year’s Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium.
Arrow was unaware Tedesco had been left dazed following an accidental collision with Josh Papalii’s knee when he picked up the Blues fullback and threw him to the ground.
Arrow apologised multiple times to Tedesco but the incident was condemned widely and resulted in him and his family members receiving online threats.
Arrow said he regretted his actions and said he was ready for the Blues to seek revenge for their captain at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
“I was not aware he (Tedesco) was unconscious, that is for sure,” Arrow said.
“I had just come on the field. I saw that he dropped the ball and out of the corner of my eye I saw it came free as we got it. So obviously I wanted to give him a touch up but I went a little bit too far with it.
“I have apologised for it. No one has spoken about us leaning down to see if he was OK and yelling to the ref and eventually they stopped the game when we were in a tryscoring opportunity.
“I don’t see myself as a grubby player. I go out there each week to bring that aggression and spark and fire but I definitely did not do it on purpose. I would never go out there to hurt someone who was unconscious.
“I have definitely moved on. I have no doubt it will be on their mind. Then again they have to worry about what they are doing.
“We have strike all over the park. No doubt all 34 men who take the field will be out for blood for each team. Whether it is more for me who knows but I definitely love the physicality of the game and the tough side of it.”
Arrow weathered a barrage of angry Roosters players when his South Sydney team faced Tedesco’s side at Stadium Australia in Round 3.
He was monstered in every run and punched in the head at one point but composed himself as the Rabbitohs recorded a 26-16 win.
Queensland prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui said the Maroons would back up Arrow if the Blues came after him in Game One.
“One hundred per cent – that’s our teammate,” he said. “We’ve got each other’s backs. I’ve got anyone’s back in a Maroon jersey. We’re all teammates. It was an accident. Whatever happens on the field stays on the field. Once that’s done you get over it and move on.”
The Maroons have a strong forward pack and Fa’asuamaleaui said Queensland’s engine room had to set the tone for a boilover in Townsville.
“It starts in the middle – all the games do,” he said. “We’ve got to set the tone from the start. Once the (interchange) boys come on they have to keep it going. It’s a really important role.
“You look at all the great Queensland teams – they never won just one series. We want to keep that going.”
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