‘They’ve got the wrong man’: NRL in uproar after controversy

The NRL’s controversial move following a Roosters star’s ugly hit has been met with claims an even worse decision has been made.

Sydney Roosters' Daniel Tupou was put on report for this high shot on Mikaele Ravalawa.

The NRL has axed referee Adam Gee after his failure to sin bin Rooster star Daniel Tupou for his ugly high tackle on Anzac Day.

League officials were under pressure to act after outcry surrounding Tupou’s hit on Dragons star Mikaele Ravalawa.

However, their response is now being met with claims they “got the wrong man” in relation to the suspension of Gee.

Tupou brought Ravalawa to the turf with a rogue coathanger but surprisingly wasn’t sin binned for the offence.

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He has since accepted a one week suspension for a careless high tackle charge.

On radio after the match, NRL boss Andrew Abdo said Tupou should have been sent to the sin bin.

Gee, the on-field referee who made the contentious call on Tupou, has taken the blame for the incident while bunker video referee Ashley Klein has been left free to officiate two games in Round 8.

Rugby league legend Mark Geyer on Wednesday took aim at the league, saying Gee had been made a “scapegoat”.

The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio also said on SEN: “They’ve persecuted the wrong man here.

“This is what the technology was intended for. This is the advancement in the technology for reviewing try-scoring situations to acts of foul play and that is where it falls in the hands of Ashley Klein.

“This is Shawshank Redemption, Adam Gee is Andy Dufresne (lead character in the hit Hollywood film). They’ve got the wrong man.”

Geyer told Triple M he “can’t explain it” in regards to the NRL’s response.

Mikaele Ravalawa of the Dragons is hit with a head high tackle from Daniel Tupou. AAP Image/Mark Evans.

It comes after rugby league reporter Paul Crawley said on Fox League’s NRL 360 on Tuesday night he was satisfied with the call not to send Tupou to the sin bin.

“I accept it was a sin bin but when I’m sitting at home and I’m watching that tackle and it’s Tupou, a cleanskin, it didn’t upset me that much,” he said.

“It wasn’t one of those tackles where you go, ‘That’s disgraceful’. It was a clumsy tackle, that’s what it was. And I think the match review committee today got it right with a grade 2.

“He gets one week. It’s not reckless, it’s careless. It’s come out on the charge sheet as a reckless tackle.”

NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent bristled at Crawley’s argument and was in disbelief Tupou was allowed to stay on the field and wasn’t charged with making a reckless tackle. He said: “Please, it is a reckless tackle. It is not careless. It is reckless.

“They got it wrong. You go back and watch Daniel Tupou’s right arm as it swings around.

“Look at the height and the fact is if Ravalawa hadn’t raised his hand it would have been straight across the mush (face).

“There’s no way that is ever going to hit anywhere other than his head. That is foreseeing it and he shouldn’t have made the tackle.”

Broncos legend Corey Parker said it was an “absolute joke” Tupou wasn’t sent to the sin bin for the tackle.

“The disappointing thing is every week there’s an inconsistency based on that,” he said.

“I’m not buying into the careless, reckless. There was direct contact to the head. It should have been 10 in the bin at bare minimum.

“Every individual on that field including Daniel Tupou would have expected he would spend some time in the bin. It didn’t happen. It was an absolute joke.”

Dragons coach Anthony Griffin said after the game: “You would have got two years in jail at Magic Round last year for that.”

The Dragons won the clash 14-12 to upset the more fancied Roosters.

Originally published as ‘They’ve got the wrong man’: NRL in uproar after controversy