NRL head of football says referees erred with position of kick
When Rhyse Martin lined up the kick to level the game with the Melbourne Storm, he should have been much further infield.
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Canterbury were told to take their match-defining missed conversion attempt against Melbourne from the wrong spot and too close to the sideline.
Bulldogs kicker Rhyse Martin missed a kick on the siren to level the scores at 18-18 and send the game into golden point on Sunday against the Storm.
The conversion went well wide of the posts but the NRL conceded that Martin was asked to make the attempt from the sideline despite Reimis Smith scoring the try three or four metres infield.
“In our view the referees should not have allowed that to happen, particularly given the circumstances of the game,” the NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley said.
“And that kick should have been allowed to be taken three to four metres in from touch.
“It doesn’t mean he would have kicked the goal, we’ll never know. But the referees have a responsibility to line it up and make sure they take the kick from the mark.”
In the footage, the assistant referee can be seen standing in line with where the ball is put down as the try goes to the bunker. The assistant referee then walks to the sideline to talk to the chief referee.
Martin then lines up his kick from behind where the two are standing.
As is NRL protocol, it is the head referee’s job to ensure the kick is taken in line from where the ball is grounded.
The Bulldogs were informed of the error and, while it’s understood they were not angry, coach Dean Pay questioned how it was possible.
“It’s a miss, and it’s an important miss they shouldn’t have got wrong,” Annesley said.
“They clearly weren’t paying enough attention.”