Punishment doesn’t fit the crime in NRL sin bin debacle

Thursday night’s clash between the Broncos and Storm has exposed an issue the NRL can’t allow to derail the entire season.

Referee Todd Smith sends Herbie Farnworth to the sin bin. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

The NRL world is up in arms after Thursday night’s wild match between the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos exposed the inconsistency of the game.

In a wild encounter, the Storm claimed a 24-16 win but only after four sin bins, including three for the Broncos and a penalty try.

Watch every game of every round of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

And yet, the only person charged by the match review committee (MRC) was Reece Walsh, who was cited for a shoulder charge which was cleared and left unpenalised on the field.

Although there were three sin bins only Patrick Carrigan’s alleged hip drop was believed to have come under review, but although he was sin binned for 10 minutes on the field, the MRC cleared the tackle.

However, it was little consolation for the Broncos, who conceded tries during two of the sin bins.

In the 37th minute, Herbie Farnworth was deemed to have move to obstruct Reimis Smith and was sin binned for his action, with the Storm scoring through winger Will Warbrick on the subsequent set of six.

In the 55th minute, Carrigan was sin binned for a hip drop before Justin Olam scored in the 60th minute with the man advantage.

The Carrigan "hip drop" that never was. Photo: Fox Sports

It’s raised the question as to whether the NRL needs to revamp the sin bin.

It’s been suggested the NRL could opt for a five minute sin bin, or a sin bin that ends if a try is scored.

The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie tweeted after the match: “I’m not referring directly to the Patrick Carrigan incident but the sin bin has to be reduced to five minutes. Ten mins is far too long for trivial indiscretions.”

Aussie cricket great Mark Waugh added: “If it’s trivial or accidental it should a penalty only.”

The sin bins are destroying the game. The refs are confused the players are confused so how the hell are fans supposed to watch a game and enjoy it with this crap happening it stops teams on a roll slows momentum down 👎 @NRL sort it out

— 🏉 RUGBY LEAGUE 4LIFE 🏉🏉🏉 (@4lifeLeague) May 12, 2023

To absolutely nobody’s surprise.

Last night: “Pat, the tackle has been reviewed, you’re in the bin”

Today: “Pat, we’ve reviewed our review and realised we were wrong. Sorry about the whole sin-bin while the game was in the balance thing. Good luck next week”

— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) May 12, 2023

Speaking on Fox Sports’ NRL Tonight, former rugby league hardman Mark Carroll blasted the officials from Thursday night’s game.

“I thought I was watching NFL, the amount of stoppages we had and the length of the game was ridiculous,” Carroll said.

“Does the Bunker get fined for making silly errors?”

The match went for two hours and 10 minutes.

While much of the NRL was fuming over Carrigan’s hip drop, Carroll had more of an issue with Farnworth's sin binning in the 37th minute, with many claiming Smith had gone to ground a little too easily.

“I thought it was a deadset like, I thought it was an Academy Awards performance,” Carroll said. “Are the Academy Awards on next week? Because that’s world-class.

“It was barely a love tap, he barely even touched him. And next thing they put him in the bin.

“In our game of rugby league, it’s a game-changer. In the next 10 minutes, the Melbourne Storm scored two tries.”

Farnworth was sin binned for this contact. Photo: Fox Sports

Greg Alexander also joined NRL Tonight and spoke about Carrigan being cleared of a hip drop.

“I’m not sure I know what a hip drop is anymore,” he said. “I thought I was pretty much across what a hip drop was.

“(But) if the match review committee is saying no charge, why was he sent to the sin bin?

“If we’re on different pages in terms of commentators and fans what a hip drop is and isn’t, at least the match review committee and those working in the Bunker can get it straight.”

Before Friday night’s games, Cooper Cronk agreed the Bunker and match review committee needed to be on the same page.

“There’s definitely a disconnect between what happened on the field and the match review panel,” Cronk said.

If Carrigan wasn’t charged, why was he sin binned? Photo: Fox Sports

“It’s typical, lost legs and on the back of Nelson Asofa-Solomona, so you can see that. But it was minimal weight on the back.

“I don’t like critiquing officials but they had a bad night last night in a lot of different areas and that was just an example of the 10 minutes in the sin bin is a huge price to pay. So we need to get that right.

“If the match review panel say no, then that should not have been a sin bin in the first place. They need to be connected. I know they’re independent from each other and that’s how they work but we cannot have that happen in a back end of the year game because 10 minutes in the sin bin is terribly wrong for that team that goes down to 12 men.”

When the game sends players to the sin bin automatically for any hint of a hip drop, high shots, professional fouls or dissent to name a few reasons, in 2023 the punishment may not still fit the crime, particularly in Carrigan’s case.