Former Super League man blasts officials over “complete guessing game”

Former Super League man James Graham has blasted the NRL’s Bunker over what he believes to be inconsistency over decisions.

Super League always has fans lamenting over the officials’ decisions, and many see Down Under’s process as one that much be much better.

However, it’s not perfect there either.

This week, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles saw three players sent to the sin-bin in their shock defeat to bottom side Wests Tigers – and then, controversially, we saw Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton get away with direct contact to the head of New Zealand Warriors man Roger Tuivasa-Sheck without being sin-binned.

James Graham, speaking on Fox League, called the decision “mind-boggling”.

Former Super League man blasts officials over “complete guessing game”

Graham particularly had a problem with Bulldogs prop Max King being put on report for high contact, saying: “It’s a complete guessing game.

“But for me if you’re a player, and I want to take head contact seriously, and you stay down – you have to come off. If you’re going to play for the penalty and lie down you’ve got to go.”

“It should be allowed for the referee to make a judgement call,” he said.

“If it’s high contact and it’s aggressive. He’s not slowing it down and looking at it from different angles. It’s at game pace. If the referee sees a penalty, blow the whistle.

“If the Bunker intervenes it is for a sin bin only.

“I don’t understand how the Bunker can come in over the top because players have stayed down.”

NRL legend Greg Alexander added: “We are stopping the game constantly for things that should not be stopped.

“We are jumping at anything that’s around the shoulders.”

He has also said: “We are so overreactive. Some of the penalties are outrageous,” and James Graham agreed, saying the sport is “completely lost” as to what a penalty is.