Referees co-coach Bill Harrigan answers your most frequently asked questions from State of Origin Game One.
What did you think about the decision to sin-bin NSW centre Michael Jennings?
I fully support this decision. Michael Jennings ran from a distance and threw a punch that connected and was rightly sin-binned. Matt Scott was cautioned by the referee and was told that he was lucky to stay on the field after throwing the ball at Greg Bird and starting the melee. Had he been sin-binned, I would have been happy with that decision as well.
Could Cameron Smith have been penalised for collecting Akuila Uate high in a tackle?
This was purely accidental, Uate fell into Cameron Smith and in the game of rugby league there is always accidental contact.
What are your thoughts on the lifting tackle by NSW forward Greg Bird, should it have earned a penalty?
No, it should have been play on. It was a good, hard tackle.
Could Jarryd Hayne have been penalised for striking Johnathan Thurston while in possession of the ball?
Yes, he could have been.
What did you think about the decision to award Greg Inglis a try in the 72nd minute?
Greg Inglis had possession of the ball and was trying to ground the ball. Robbie Farah, in desperation to prevent the try, changed his running gait and threw his leg out. In doing so, he dislodged the ball, so therefore it is deemed that he played at the ball. The ball is still live.
It does rebound off Greg Inglis’s forearm after it was dislodged, but he did not play at it, it was a rebound and then he grounded the ball.
For these reasons, I agree with the decision to award a try.
Bill Harrigan will appear on NRL Daily tonight. Tune in to NRL.com at 7pm to hear what he has to say.
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