NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo concedes bunker need recalibration after sin bin surge

Andrew Johns became so incensed with a sin bin call over the weekend, he put down his commentary mic for the final 23 minutes of the game. It comes as Andrew Abdo concedes the bunker needs a recalibration.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has called on players and clubs to work on their discipline as he concedes the use of the bunker needs to be recalibrated heading into one of the showpiece events of the year.

Abdo, speaking as the NRL prepares for its annual Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium, insisted that he could understand the frustration of former players and supporters after a weekend where 18 players were sent to sin bin, the vast majority for contact with the head.

The use on the sin bin was all too much for Immortal and Nine Network commentator Andrew Johns, who became so incensed with the sin-binning of Wests Tigers forward Fonua Pole in the 64th minute of Sunday afternoon’s game at Leichhardt Oval that he put down his microphone and took no part in the final 23 minutes of the call.

While Abdo conceded the bunker officials had made mistakes and the influence of technology needed to be addressed, he also put the onus on players and clubs amid a spike in high contact this season.

“Well, I think it’s a collective responsibility in the game, right?” Abdo said.

“It’s an incredibly hard job because you’re looking at a very technical game played at speed. The adjudication in a sport such as ours is never going to be an exact science.

“There’s always going to be areas of judgement. I think we also need to accept that - we need to do better and we will. Hopefully we’ll see that playing out in the next couple of rounds.

“We also don’t want to see the incredible increase in high tackles that we’re seeing at the moment.

“As a game, we’re not going to take a backward step on player safety and protecting players. Equally, we also want a game that flows and I get the frustration around the stop-start nature of too much intervention, particularly the use of technology.

“So we’re going to think about that and adjust accordingly.”

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo conceded the use of the bunker needs to be recalibrated ahead of Magic Round. Picture: NRL

The NRL and its use of the bunker has been under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks as some of the most influential and powerful figures in the game voice their frustrations with the state of the on-field product.

Johns led a chorus of criticism over the weekend amid claims that the bunker was overreacting to high contact.

The Australian reported on Monday that Johns became so annoyed, he put his microphone down and stopped calling the game.

Nine sources declined to comment when contacted by this masthead.

Andrew Johns abandoned his commentary mic over the weekend. Picture: NRL Photos

Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould went on to raise fears that Magic Round, one of the gala events on the rugby league calendar, could be overshadowed as a result.

Asked whether he was concerned that the game could suffer another black eye during Magic Round, which was blighted by sin-bins and send-offs three years ago, Abdo said: “I don’t think we’re at that stage.

“Hopefully we get that balance right. It’s not an exact science, but we’re certainly going to keep looking at ways in which we can get the consistency that’s required, that howlers are not missed and the obvious ones are not missed.

“There’s always going to be those 50-50 calls and those are the ones that will be debated. That’s okay. As long as we aren’t missing the obvious ones or we are not overreacting.

“There’s been no policy change, but obviously the implementation of the policy is where the issue is and the bunker intervening. It’s meant for serious acts of foul play and I think that there have been instances where it hasn’t met that threshold.

“So we want to obviously reinforce that threshold with the referees, particularly the bunker, because it does have an impact on the game when you pull it back and no one likes that, right?

Isaah Yeo escaped punishment for this high shot on Turbo.

The referee missed Matt Burton's high shot on Billy Walters.

Taukeiaho sent to the sin bin for a seemingly legal tackle.

Sitili Tupouniua avoided the sin bin for this knee lift on Brendan Piakura.

“It’s really there for howlers. It’s really there for an exceptional serious act of foul play. We’ll work on that this week and make sure that everyone is really clear on that, because there have been a few issues where there were some errors made and there were some sin-bins that we don’t think warranted for sin bin.

“But equally, there were some that actually could have gone the other way.”

Abdo insisted the use of the bunker wasn’t solely to blame for the rash of sin-bins.

“You know, the thing about rugby league is that we’re all very passionate about our views,” he said.

“So I get the frustration. I will say, too, that unfortunately this season, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of high tackles and that is playing a role because more high tackles is always going to mean more penalties and more sins and we don’t want that.

“So there’s also an opportunity for us to try and make sure that the players are focused on avoiding dangerous, and high contact, wherever possible.

“It is a balance. That is what we’re trying to do - we’re trying to get that balance right.”

Originally published as NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo concedes bunker need recalibration after sin bin surge