NRL referees’ power must be absolute and players should not be allowed to touch them

AFTER all the debate we still had two players touch referees this week, only one of whom was charged. The NRL created this uncertainty, now they have to fix it, writes PAUL KENT.

Daily Telegraph Sport Columnist Paul Kent

MICHAEL Buettner was this side of frustrated last week, but only just.

He heads the NRL match review panel that charged David Klemmer with touching a referee and then saw him exonerated before the judiciary.

This, despite the rules clearly stating that players are not allowed to touch referees.

Buettner was on the phone afterwards and said the good news was that the decision showed the independence between the match review panel and judiciary.

But, he added, a not guilty decision this time would not mean they would stop charging players for putting their hands on referees.

So Kieran Foran was charged for touching referee Matt Cecchin, a light pat on the back. Nothing more. Yet Foran took the early guilty plea on Tuesday.

This, despite the fact his touch looked far less aggressive than Klemmer a week earlier where the Bulldog star actually put his hand on Ben Cummins’ chest, appearing to stop him.

The NRL created this uncertainty themselves.

That a judiciary was allowed to determine the degree of touching and not merely whether it occurred, as Foran has acknowledged, means the judiciary was not diligent in their job.

If we allow this to continue the next logical step will be the need to establish gradings of contact, which is ridiculous.

I’ve changed my mind on this.

Foran took the early plea for touching the referee in Friday night’s game.

Michael Ennis was telling me last week how he touched a referee in a game and it was so incidental he could not even remember doing it and to be suspended for that sure would be tough. He pleaded for discretion. It made sense.

But I’m not so sure, now.

After all of last week’s debate we still had two players touch referees this week, only one of whom was charged. So where is the line?

It is almost timely that we are debating it still as we head into Good Friday, the anniversary of last year’s Canterbury-South Sydney game when the Bulldogs went rabid at a decision that cost them the game but was entirely correct.

Klemmer abused referee Gerard Sutton and was sent to the sin bin. Then he abused him again.

Klemmer should have been called back after that and Sutton should have upgraded the sin bin to a complete send-off. Given Klemmer later got three weeks for it, it would not have appeared drastic.

Stronger action on-field would have been a greater deterrent and might even have made Klemmer think twice before he touched Cummins in round two. And that’s our problem.

Too often referees take the soft option, the deal with it later option, by placating the situation instead of taking the necessary option.

This game is not democratic.

As far as the referee is concerned, it is an autocracy. The referee has absolute power and needs to be above players believing they can protest and argue.

A do-over must be called and the League needs to promise strong action from here on. It is not too hard to issue a no touching edict, no exceptions tolerated.

Originally published as NRL referees’ power must be absolute and players should not be allowed to touch them