The NRL admitted Ashley Klein got the penalty wrong in the Reece Walsh headbutt incident, as debate raged over whether the Broncos star and Hudson Young’s punishment matched the crimes.
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Walsh was charged over the headbutt, but avoided a suspension rather than a fine, while both he and Young were sin-binned for the incident, with the Broncos getting the penalty on the field.
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The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield revealed Klein got a pass mark for his refereeing in the game and will be appointed to one of the two semi-finals this weekend.
“I can tell our viewers straightaway that Ash Klein the referee, got a pass mark out of this game and will be controlling one of the two finals this weekend,” Rothfield said on NRL 360.
“It was a tough game to referee. 94 minutes is tough.”
However, Brent Read and Gorden Tallis believe Klein had a poor performance and was not deserving of a pass mark, which sparked debate.
“I thought he had an off game,” Read said.
“I didn’t think he had his best game.”
“I can’t believe he got a pass mark,” Tallis added.
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“That’s why you have got to get the decisions right. It’s tougher for a player. It’s tougher for Payne Haas.”
Braith Anasta questioned if Klein got the Reece Walsh headbutt decision wrong.
“He got the sin-binning wrong,” Tallis replied.
“So, if you’re going to get sin-binned now for celebrating and getting in players’ faces, there won’t be a player every week.
“When players get in players faces, how many times do we watch it? We don’t like it, but he’s allowed to do that.
“Hudson Young did nothing wrong. That is not a sin-bin-able offence. And Reece Walsh, should he have got sin-binned? Yeah maybe.”
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Read pointed out that the NRL believe what Young did was more than a sledge.
“I think the NRL’s view is that Hudson Young initiated contact, he didn’t just get in his face, he initiated contact with him,” Read said.
“I’m with you I don’t think it’s a sin-bin. I don’t think he should have been sin-binned.”
Rothfield revealed the NRL admitted they got the penalty decision wrong, but stood by the rest of the decisions on the incident.
“The concession I got out of the NRL today from the incident Canberra was penalised and they have now admitted that Canberra should have got the penalty,” Rothfield said.
“And people describe it like this. If you’ve got a dickhead act, which is Hudson Young behaving like he did and you’ve got a headbutt, which is blatant foul play, the foul play far outweighs the dickhead.
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“And it was a crucial time of the game and they got the penalty wrong.
“The Raiders should have got the penalty and that’s one of the reasons, Klein didn’t get a better than a pass.
“They tell me that was Klein’s decision. The bunker ruled had a look at it, but it was Klein’s decision to penalise Canberra for an in-your-face act of stupidity.
“And you know football players, like Hudson Young, and you’re never going to stop it, are always going to applaud a mistake like that and get in an opponents’ face.”
The decision not to send off or suspend Walsh had Tallis calling for consistency from the NRL if it was an enforcer, rather than a fullback.
“I don’t think there was too much in it, I just would like to know if that was Nelson Asofa-Solomona headbutting, Reece what would happen?” Tallis said.
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“Just as long as we’re consistent. I don’t think there’s too much in it, I really don’t. I don’t think it’s worth a week on the sidelines.”
Rothfield revealed the last five players to headbutt a player were not suspended either.
“The NRL have given us detail, which is very much consistent,” Rothfield said.
“The last five players who headbutted opponents on the field in a similar manner, not overly serious, but still a headbutt have got off with a grade one and didn’t miss any footy.
“Now, the Victor Radley example, he got three weeks. His was all about loading and that’s the difference, so I am certainly not going to be bagging them about lack of consistency.”
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