Advertisement

NRL world left seething over 'ridiculous' scenes in Roosters' win over Manly

The performance of referee Ashley Klein left many unimpressed after 21 penalties and 13 set restarts were awarded.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read
Ashley Klein, pictured here during in the Roosters' NRL clash with Manly.
Ashley Klein gave 21 penalties and 13 set restarts in the Roosters' NRL clash with Manly. Image: AAP

The Roosters and Manly were both crying foul after their NRL clash on Thursday night after referee Ashley Klein gave a staggering 21 penalties and 13 set restarts at the SCG. The Roosters ran out 26-16 winners despite having Nathan Brown sent off late in the match, with the quality of the refereeing proving a huge talking point afterwards.

Klein pinged the Roosters for 15 penalties (and six for Manly), while also awarding a set restart 16 times throughout the match. The situation exploded late in the second half when Brown was sent off for a high tackle on Ben Trbojevic just 30 seconds after coming onto the field.

'GOOD ON THEM': Mitchell Moses' shock take on Storm trophy furore

NOT HAPPY: Trent Robinson responds amid dramas around Cooper Cronk

Speaking after the match, Roosters coach Trent Robinson questioned whether the high shot was worthy of a send-off. "We've had high tackles, we've had shoulder charges (this year)," he said. "It was a high tackle - he hit him in the neck but it had no effect on Trbojevic.

"[Trbojevic] got up and elbowed pretty quickly straight after that, which wasn't cited and went unpunished. You don't want to see it, and I don't think it's great for Ben.

"There's so much worse than that that happens in the game. But that gets sent off? Guys have been heavily concussed from high tackles and nothing happened there tonight."

Manly coach Anthony Seibold was also left fuming that Toafofoa Sipley had been sent to the sin-bin after Klein deemed Manly had committed too many repeated infringements. Yet the Roosters lost the penalty count 15-6 and didn't get anyone binned.

Toafofoa Sipley, pictured here being sin-binned during Manly's clash with the Roosters.
Toafofoa Sipley is sin-binned during Manly's clash with the Roosters. (AAP Image/Mark Evans)

β€œThey obviously come with a deliberate plan to take any momentum out of the game I thought. I think by the end of the game the Roosters conceded 15 penalties,” Seibold said.

β€œThe thing that was quite strange, I know Nathan Brown got sent off but that was for foul play, but our sixth penalty of the night Toff Sipley a yardage penalty for staying in the tackle too long, gets sin binned. I didn’t quite understand that.

β€œI understand the frustration with the amount but at that stage, the Roosters had given 10 away and we had given five away so I wasn’t quite sure where that came from. It was a really stop-start game. Both sides conceded a lot of penalties, a lot of six agains. It certainly hurt the rhythm of how we wanted to play our footy but they came with a good plan so credit to them.”

Nathan Brown, pictured here walking off the field after being sent off.
Nathan Brown was sent off for a high tackle in the Roosters' win over Manly. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

NRL fans left fuming over 'ridiculous' scenes

Robinson rejected Seibold’s suggestions the Roosters were deliberately slowing down the ruck. β€œNot at all,” he said.

β€œI don’t think there was any, that wasn’t the area of penalties. I don’t think that was a concern. They (Manly) weren’t trying to get quick play the balls they were trying to shift the ball from side to side and that wasn’t the area of where the penalties were given anyway so I think that’s way off the mark.”

Fans were left fuming over Klein's performance with the whistle. Manly labelled it 'ridiculous' and 'pathetic' that 21 penalties and 13 set restarts could be awarded in one game.

with AAP

Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.