Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett and his Cowboys counterpart Todd Payten have agreed the Bunker got it wrong awarding a hip-drop penalty in what proved a game-changing moment between their sides on Saturday.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship from opposing NRL coaches, they both said Jack Wighton shouldn’t have been penalised for his try-saving tackle in the second half.
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Souths were ahead 10-6 in the 57th minute when Wighton made an epic tackle on Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater to stop him just a metre short of the line and force a knock on.
“What a tackle from Wighton, he came from nowhere,” Steve Roach said on Fox League.
Referee Todd Smith blew his whistle for a scrum but moments later Bunker official Matt Noyen intervened and Wighton was penalised despite his protests of “I was going for the ball”.
“What’s he supposed to do there? He’s trying to stop a try, there’s nothing else Jack Wighton could do,” Roach said.
The Cowboys scored the next three tries in the following 11 minutes and held on for a 24-16 victory in Perth.
“I think anybody that’s ever been involved in rugby league would agree that’s not a hip-drop tackle,” Bennett said.
“What’s he supposed to do? Let him run over the try line because that’s where he was heading.
Bennett hits back at controversial call | 02:22
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“It was a tackle from behind, it’s as simple as that, not more than that. (Actually) it was a good tackle, a really good tackle.”
Bennett was asked if it was a turning point in the match and responded with “you’ve answered your own question”, while Wighton was more subdued in the press conference.
“It’s out of my hands, I’ll leave it up to the officials and they can work it out,” Wighton said.
Payten was then asked his thoughts on the incident and sided with his rivals.
“I thought they were unlucky, to be completely honest,” Payten said.
“Those calls have been going against us for a few weeks now, so it’s good to get one to go our way, but I don’t know if it was a hip drop.
“If you’re tackling someone from behind, I don’t know where you’re supposed to land. You know that’s the part that doesn’t make sense to me.”
Drinkwater slams ‘terrible’ Cowboys | 00:47
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