Cameron Smith ‘lucky not to be sin binned’ as NRL Grand Final referee slammed

The NRL Grand Final had its fair share of controversy and NRL 360 host Paul Kent has laid it at the feet of one man.

Melbourne's Cameron Smith scores a try during the 2020 NRL Grand Final between the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium, Homebush. Picture: Brett Costello

NRL 360 host Paul Kent has slammed 2020 Grand Final referee Gerard Sutton after a controversial performance in Sunday night’s decider.

The 2020 NRL Grand Final had its fair share of controversy with a penalty try, bunker blunder and late sin bin drawing the ire of the football world.

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But amid all the calls, Kent said the referee “second guessed himself” all night and took away from the spectacle.

He even went so far as to say he believed Storm captain Cameron Smith was lucky not to be sent from the field late in the game after appearing to question whether Sutton was “managing” the Panthers back into the game.

The concept came to the fore earlier in the season when Panthers coach Ivan Cleary told reporters after his side‘s 28-12 won over the Raiders that “It felt like they were being managed back into the game”.

While he didn‘t use the same words, Smith appeared to be touching on the same sentiment when Jahrome Hughes was sin binned with nine minutes remaining in the game.

“The last three or four penalties they have got is little very picky stuff and we have got nothing mate,” Smith said before Sutton gave Hughes his marching orders.

“I get it, everyone wants an exciting finish. But we are just the same as them. Stop trying to pick little things out of our game to make an exciting finish.”

Cameron Smith couldn't believe Hughes was sin binned.

Smith was cleared of any wrongdoing but he was far from the only person upset about the whistleblowers with coach Craig Bellamy also left fuming as the calls didn’t go his team’s way in the second half.

Bellamy had one of the all-time great blow ups in the coaching box where he was filmed lashing out and kicking a chair.

But Kent said Smith was lucky not to follow Hughes off the field.

“He was very lucky he did not get sin binned,” Kent said.

“Gorden Tallis called Bill Harrigan a ‘cheat’, that’s just a more diplomatic way of saying it. ’I know you’re trying to manage them back in the game’, that’s insinuating …

“He was that close. The difference between what he said and what Gorden said is the difference between him and Gorden.”

But rather than being critical of Smith, Kent said Sutton‘s performance left a lot to be desired.

“I was really disappointed with Gerard Sutton’s performance,” Kent said on NRL 360.

“He didn’t show the courage of his convictions, he second guessed himself the whole night.

“This is what I‘ve had a gutful of at the NRL, all year we’ve been going on about how good six again is, how it’s been great for the game, but as soon as we get to the semi-finals, they think it’s good refereeing by putting the whistle in the pocket and no longer calling it.”

Referees appear to have that effect on people.

The Daily Telegraph‘s Phil Rothfield said Kent should “be a bit happier”, calling the refereeing ”nine out of 10 compared to last year”.

He added that referee Gerard Sutton “made one mistake”.

Kent hit back however: “I thought when the game was on the stage, the fact that they continually sent it up there (to the bunker), the fact that later in the game, Kaufusi‘s pretending to have an injury, those sorts of things have got to get out of the game.”