Football boss Graham Annesley applauds officials for their handling of fiery Origin melee

The NRL has weighed in on how last week State of Origin melee was handled and whether the sin-bins were correctly given.

Graham Annesley has explained why the Blues were reduced to 12 men when a bench player was sin binned in the Origin decider, while he also weighed in on claims Cameron Murray should have been sent off. Picture: NRL Imagery

The book appears to have been firmly shut on last week’s fiery State of Origin melee with NRL football boss Graham Annesley dismissing any suggestions NSW should not have lost a player from the field when Cameron Murray sent to the sin bin from the bench.

The first-half fracas which spilled over the sideline and onto the Maroons bench was the most controversial moment of the series, with Murray and Queensland’s Jeremiah Nanai sent to the sin bin for their roles in the incident which resulted in nine charges from the match review officer.

Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans was adamant Murray, who copped a two-game suspensions, should have been sent off given he had been subbed off only a few minutes earlier.

There were also suggestions from others that when the star lock forward was marched for 10 minutes the Blues shouldn’t have had to take Mitch Barnett off to justify the sin bin.

But Annesley shut that down on Monday declaring that’s “ not how our game operates”.

“I don’t think it would be acceptable in any circumstances where a player is either sent to the sin bin or dismissed for the remainder of the game, and still have 13 players playing,” Annesley said.

“That’s not how our game operates.

There have been suggestions the Blues shouldn’t have had to play with 12 men after Cam Murray was sent to the sin bin. Picture: NRL Photos

“Admittedly, it’s very unusual to find a player sent to the sin bin from the bench. In fact, I can’t recall it ever happening, so when players are sent to the sin bin, teams are required to play on with 12 players until he returns from the sin bin.

“If he had been sent off from the bench, then they would be required to play with 12 players for the remainder of the game.

“I don’t think it would be acceptable or fair for a team to just simply reduce the number of players they have available for rotation and not suffer any consequence in terms of the numbers of players they have playing during the game.”

Haumole Olakau’atu was charged by the match review committee because he was in the playing area despite not being part of the match. Picture: Channel 9

While that law technically isn’t in the rule book, Annesley said it’s always been protocol that a team must continue with 12 players if someone has been sin binned or sent off.

Annesley explained the three different gradings that were handed down to the players, with Murray and Manly’s Haumole Olakau’atu both banned for two matches after they were hit with grade three offences.

Grade one charges were for bench players who joined the melee but did not escalate it, grade twos were for players on the field at the time who ran in and did escalate it, while grade threes were for the two who ran in and escalated it.

The decision to charge Olakau’atu even though he was 19th man and technically not a part of the game was because he was in the playing area which gave power to the referee and match review committee to sanction him.

As for whether Murray should have been sent off, Annesley says he’s comfortable with Ashley Klein’s decision to sin bin him even though you can hear him say at one stage that he thought the penalty should have been more severe.

Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans pleaded with the referee for Murray to be sent off. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“That sort of decision is purely at the discretion of the referee,” he said.

“They have to take into consideration the circumstances that unfolded in front of them and they have to make a decision.

“The fact that we was sent to the sin bin as opposed to being sent off is entirely up to the referee.

“I think there was something said along those lines, but whether he (Klein) was talking to the Bunker or just running through the process with his initial impressions (is unclear).

“That was obviously a very confusing period because there were a lot of players involved at different levels, and ultimately he has to make a decision.”

Originally published as Football boss Graham Annesley applauds officials for their handling of fiery Origin melee