NRL Integrity Unit investigates online threats made against touch judge who made Storm mistake

The NRL’s Integrity Unit is investigating online threats against the touch judge who ruled against Melbourne Storm on Saturday night, with Graham Annesley saying online trolls ‘need to pull their heads in’.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — SEPTEMBER 14: William Chambers of the Storm argues with the touch judge after a controversial decision late in the game during the NRL Qualifying Final match between the Melbourne Storm and the Canberra Raiders at AAMI Park on September 14, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

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Touch judge Michael Wise has “paid the price” for an error during Saturday night’s qualifying final between Canberra and Melbourne as the NRL’s Integrity Unit investigates threats made against the official.

The four match officials from that game, including Wise and head referee Ashley Klein, have been dumped for week two of the finals series.

Wise incorrectly ruled the hand of Melbourne’s Suliasi Vunivalu had gone into touch in the 78th minute of the game. The Raiders were ahead 12-10 on the scoreboard.

Head of football Graham Annesley confirmed Wise was demoted for the mistake.

“The decision was wrong but it was a close [call]. The touch judge will obviously pay the price for that. He knows that goes with the territory … it was a big game, it was a crucial time and he made the wrong decision,” he said.

Suliasi Vunivalu was incorrectly called out by the touch judge.

Annesley also revealed a “devastated” Wise had been the target of online vilification after the incident.

“The touch judge himself was personally devastated after the game that he got this wrong. It has affected him quite badly in terms of his personal wellbeing,” Annesley said.

“Vilification of him as a person, the threats that have been made against him are completely and totally unwarranted. He made the wrong decision but that doesn’t make him a bad person, it doesn’t make him a bad official.

“People who make threats, verbal assassinations online need to pull their heads in.”

The Daily Telegraph can confirm the Integrity Unit is investigating a number of posts levelled at Wise across social media that are believed to be of an abusive and threatening nature.

Cameron Smith watches the replay on the big screen after Suliasi Vunivalu was called out by the touch judge.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

There was also controversy over the communication between the two match officials, Klein and Chris Sutton, from the same game:

INCIDENT ONE: Elliot Whitehead strip

In the 25th minute, Canberra’s Whitehead illegally stripped the ball from Melbourne’s Jesse Bromwich but Klein ruled a knock on against the Storm.

Annesley confirmed the assistant referee Chris Sutton identified the strip but lead referee, Klein, incorrectly overruled the call.

“There was a strip of the ball by Elliot Whitehead … the arm wraps around the ball and pulls the ball out. There was a disagreement among the officials on this. There was a call from the assist referee that it had been stripped and the head referee, who always has the overriding say, gets to determine [the call] based on his view,” he said.

“In this case we believe that [overruling Sutton] was the wrong decision.”

Vunivalu questions Wise after his incorrect call. Photo: AAP Image/Scott Barbour

INCIDENT TWO: Professional foul and sin bin

In the 47th minute, Whitehead tackled Melbourne’s Ryan Papenhuyzen without the ball when the Storm was in attack. Again, Sutton identified the foul but Klein didn’t award the penalty. This time, Klein claimed he didn’t hear Sutton.

“The assist referee has no ability to blow the penalty himself, he can only advise the head referee. It’s the head referees responsibility to make that call. He didn’t hear that call,” Annesley said.

Two tackles later Klein penalised Raiders captain Jarrod Croker for holding down in the ruck.

Jarrod Croker was lucky to not to be sin-binned.

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Annesley said this was the right call but conceded Croker should have been sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.

“Play continued and we had a second offence with Jarrod Croker holding down. In either of those two cases the offender should have gone to the sin bin and didn’t it,” he said.

“Holding excessively right under the post in a try scoring situation, in our view should have bought a player in the sin bin, in this case Jarrod Croker. It falls into the category of a professional foul.”