Jahrome Hughes responds to referee incident amid uproar over 'ridiculous' NRL ban

Jahrome Hughes will miss Melbourne's round three match against the Knights after accepting a one-match ban for pushing referee Chris Butler in the Storm's dramatic 30-26 win over the Warriors on Saturday night. Hughes was defending the Storm's try line in the 58th minute against the Warriors when he found himself positioned directly behind the official, with Rocco Berry charging full tilt towards the line.

In a desperate bid to make a last-ditch tackle, Hughes opted to nudge Butler out of the way - sending the ref tumbling to the ground - so he could bring down the New Zealand centre and stop a try. On Sunday, the match review committee retrospectively charged Hughes with a contrary conduct offence - which carries a one-game ban with an early guilty plea. And on Monday, Hughes ultimately did just that, pleading guilty to the offence instead of risking a two-game ban if he failed to successfully fight the charge.

The decision to charge Hughes has not sat well with the NRL world, with Michael Ennis one of many to condemn the decision to hand the Storm playmaker a one-match ban. The NRL great believes his suspension is ridiculous, declaring Hughes did nothing wrong. "Let's not gloss over it, it's absolute stupidity," Ennis said on Fox Sports on Sunday. "The referee gets in his eyeline, gets in his way. Commonsense says this is not one of those moments when a player gets frustrated and puts his hands on a referee.

"That was a complete accident from Jahrome Hughes. I hope they fight that because he should never miss a week for it. And the fact he was charged is just absolute stupidity. It's ridiculous."

The Kiwi international will now miss Sunday's match against Newcastle. With five-eighth Cameron Munster already out with a groin injury and unlikely to return in the near future, the Storm will likely be without both of their first-choice halves for the game against Newcastle. Jonah Pezet has filled in for the injured Munster to start the 2024 season, while Tyran Wishart and Bronson Garlick are the most likely options to replace Hughes.

Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler defend Jahrome Hughes

Ennis wasn't the only pundit to call out the NRL's charging of Hughes, with NRL greats Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns also outraged by the call. The former NSW State of Origin coach was among the many to question the positioning of Butler while also leaping to the defence of the Storm halfback, stating that he didn't have enough time to make a conscious decision in relation to the official.

"He is just watching (Berry). He's not even looking at the referee," Johns said on the Sunday Footy Show. "He is a bit hard done by there. We need to protect the referees, without a doubt. Especially at junior level ... but for me, that was an accident."

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The Hughes development put somewhat of a dampener on Melbourne's extraordinary victory over the Warriors with Xavier Coates scoring one of the most incredible tries in NRL history to win the game in the dying seconds. But the try was overshadowed by Sunday's news, which created a stir online.

with AAP

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