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The NRL could never be accused of ignoring criticism. Quite the opposite.
Last week the League copped plenty from fans when Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona avoided the sin-bin after a blatant swinging arm to the head of Parramatta’s Makahesi Makatoa.
This week over-use of the bin bordered on the farcical.
Whether the Asofa-Solomona fiasco had anything to do with it will never be known outside the walls of League HQ , but you have to wonder.
After all, the NRL has never been known to take a softly-softly approach when instructing its referees.
Matter of fact, round four had all the hallmarks of last year’s infamous Magic Round Massacre when players would have been sent to the sin-bin for brushing a mosquito off an opponent’s collar.
On Saturday night Cowboys halfback Chad Townsend was sent to the bin for only slightly more.
Chad Townsend (to right of referee) and Griffin Neame were both binned against the Roosters for offences that were barely worth a penalty, let alone playing a man short for 10 minutes
If Townsend deserved 10 minutes off the field for his swat to the neck of Roosters’ forward Lindsay Collins, then Newcastle’s Mitch Barnett should have got life for his elbow to the face of the Panthers’ Chris Smith the week before.
Making the Townsend sin-bin even more painful for Cowboys’ coach Todd Payten, was the fact that it was the third for his team on the night.
Two of them, the slap by Townsend which didn’t even put Collins off his stride, and a late hit by Griffin Neame on Roosters’ playmaker Sam Walker as he took the ball deep into the line, were 50:50 calls at best.
Had they gone the other way, it wouldn’t have altered the final outcome – the Roosters were red-hot all night and thoroughly deserved their 28-4 win – but having to play 30 minutes with only 12 men made the Cowboys’ task impossible.
Tom Flegler got his marching orders for a supposed cannonball tackle against the Warriors that was completely legal, with referee Chris Sutton…
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Source : dailymail
