Cameron Smith left stunned at Adam Gee grand final snub after Ivan Cleary's officiating swipe

Cameron Smith has questioned why Adam Gee has only played a little part in the finals series in 2024 after the announcement he won't take part in the NRL grand final only days after Panthers coach Ivan Cleary took aim at the Bunker. The officiating has been a huge talking point in 2024 with the Bunker coming under huge pressure for a number of calls.

On the weekend, referee Grant Atkins ruled that Angus Crichton knocked the ball backwards and into the hands of Storm player Eli Katoa before a try. Although, Storm star Alec McDonald had clearly knocked it forward, meaning Katoa was offside when he caught it.

The Storm then scored to make it 30-18, but because the knock-on occurred the tackle prior to the try, the Bunker wasn't allowed to go back and review it. This wasn't the only drama. In the Panthers game, coach Cleary caused controversy when singling out Bunker official Chris Butler.

Cleary was left fuming that Butler had denied the Panthers a try due to what he deemed to be an obstruction. The NRL admitted the Bunker official got the call wrong on Monday. On Tuesday morning, Ashley Klein was announced as the man with the main whistle for the NRL grand final. Atkins will take charge of the Bunker. Klein was a part of the State of Origin series this year and will referee his fourth grand final this weekend.

This announcement isn't a shock, but many NRL fans are wondering why Gee has been snubbed in 2024 after performing admirably in last year's grand final between the Panthers and the Broncos. Gee was not used as a main referee in the two finals games on the weekend and he wasn't selected as part of the four-man team for the grand final.

And Smith has been left baffled to why Gee has been used so sparingly throughout this year's NRL finals competition. When it was raised that many hoped a Bunker decision didn't decide a close grand final, Smith let it out.

"Goodness me. I hope not...I hope that doesn't happen. I really hope the players decide this one. And no official ruling does. You just don't want it in these games," he said on SEN Radio.

"I don't know why Adam Gee is not having some part in this finals series. He refereed the grand final last year and was praised for it. If he is not refereeing the grand final out on the ground, why not have him in the Bunker? I don't get it."

Ivan Cleary escapes fine after NRL bunker swipe

Cleary caused a stir on the weekend when he singled out Butler for his decision. This has often seen managers fined for such a move, but Cleary surprisingly escaped the sanction.

"That was a terrible decision, and that gives me a lot of anxiety around next week if that Bunker official (is there again)," the coach said, before calling out Butler by name. "I think it was Chris Butler. That was wrong, and it's been happening all year.

"That was the one time we sorted our stuff out and ran the play perfectly and ran to his inside shoulder. Sifa (Talakai) actually initiated contact. That worries me about next week if that same bunker official (is there) or, if he or someone else is going off the same script, then I'm concerned."

Cleary then suggested NRL head of football Graham Annesley should think twice about who he selects to officiate the grand final on Sunday night against the Melbourne Storm. And Buttler was not selected as one of the main two referees for the grand final showdown.

Recently, Roosters coach Trent Robinson and Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould were both fined for criticising the state of the game. However, it appears Cleary was fortunate to avoid the fine heading into the NRL grand final.

Adam Gee absence a mystery to NRL fans

Ahead of NRL finals week one, Gee was left out of the referee rotation. And former Roosters star Braith Anasta said it was a 'mind-boggling' decision from the NRL.

"Adam Gee has been dumped from week one of the finals. Now Adam Gee refereed the grand final, as most of us would remember, in one of the best performances by a referee I would say ever (or) at least in the last decade,” Anasta said on NRL 360 last month.

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“It was handled brilliantly by him. And full of praise by the rugby league world and then all of a sudden, a year later, he’s not even refereeing week one of the finals.” Anasta isn't the only one stunned. NRL fans have been left wondering where Gee has been during the finals.