‘He milked it’: NRL legends blast ‘outrageous’ sin bin call

NRL fans and commentators were fuming over a contentious sin ball call that had legends of the game pointing fingers at the referee.

Jayden Su'A was sin binned for a late hit on Penrith's Sean O'Sullivan.

NRL legend Gorden Tallis has accused Penrith’s Sean O’Sullivan of milking a penalty that resulted in a controversial sin bin that had fans fuming.

In the first half the Panthers’ clash with St George Illawarra on Friday, Dragons forward Jaydn Su’A tackled O’Sullivan just after he has passed the ball and knocked him to the turf.

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O’Sullivan stayed down for several moments and was tended to by the trainer, before he went off for a head injury assessment (HIA), which he passed and came back on.

But even though Su’A wrapped his arms and didn’t hit O’Sullivan in the head, referee Chris Sutton, on the advice of the bunker didn’t look kindly on the tackle and sent him for a 10-minute spell on the sideline.

The score was 6-6 when Su’A was sent off but with one extra man, Penrith piled on 14 unanswered points in the next 10 minutes.

St George mounted a second half comeback and Su’A was superb when he returned to the field, crossing over for a try.

Jayden Su'A was sin binned for this late hit on Penrith's Sean O'Sullivan.

O’Sullivan stayed down and was sent for a HIA.

But it was too little too late for the much-improved Dragons, as the Panthers secured a 20-16 victory.

NRL legend Gorden Tallis slammed the Su’A sin bin and accused O’Sullivan of staying down to milk the penalty.

“He was milking it absolutely,” Tallis said on Fox League.

“I think the referee would like to have this decision over again. It was a split second. He doesn’t hit him high. He hits him in the shoulder. He makes a play at the playmaker.

“He comes deep into the line so he is taking it right to the line and he hits him.

“You can’t get charged for the force with which you hit someone if it is not an illegal high tackle.”

“It is not high,” Benji Marshall added.

“It is one sixth of a second late. That is not that late, like seriously.

“He stayed down and for that he has had to go off for a HIA. So the lesson is don’t stay down.

Jayden Su'A gets his marching orders for a tackle on Sean O’Sullivan. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

“In my opinion Jaydn Su’A should not have been sin-binned in this situation. It is poor form.”

Rugby league fans agreed Su’A copped the rough end of the stick from the referee.

The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie tweeted: “Su’A sin binned for that tackle - knit picking yet again.”

Dragons ball control has been diabolical — but that sin bin was outrageous.

Panthers also still getting away with murder when defending opponents coming off their own try line. 4 men in and laying all over it. #Redv

— misha (@mishazelinsky) March 18, 2022

Tallis even went as far to say the officials decided to make O’Sullivan go off for a HIA because they realised they had made the wrong decision.

“I reckon the referees are sitting there, all of them collectively, they know they got the decision wrong and so they made O’Sullivan leave the field,” Tallis said.

“I reckon they realised he milked it. He turned his head up. He kept on looking to see if he was going to get a penalty.

O’Sullivan wishing he didn’t lie down quite so long now… #NRLDragonsPanthers

— Rob Sutherland (@rob_sutherland3) March 18, 2022

“They said you have got to go off for a head clash, but it wasn’t a head clash at all. They got that wrong and they would like to have that decision again.”

Originally published as ‘He milked it’: NRL legends blast ‘outrageous’ sin bin call