Referees co-coach Bill Harrigan looks at all the action from Round 9 and answers your most frequently asked questions.
What were your thoughts on the penalty count in the Sea Eagles clash with the Raiders? Should the count in a game be even?
Some people perceive that the penalty count should be even, but penalties are there for a reason, they are there simply to stop teams infringing. If they infringe on the rules they will be penalised. That is why referees will not look for an even penalty count; their job is to enforce the rules and when they are broken, the referee will blow a penalty. If one team infringes more than the other, they will be penalised more.
Did Manly’s Jorge Taufua knock the ball on in the second half?
The referee got the call wrong, the ball was knocked-on and should have been a scrum feed to the Raiders.
Are you happy with the decision to award a try to Josh Dugan when he scored from dummy-half? How much time does an attacking player have to get the ball down for a try? Is this up to the referees' discretion?
I have no problem with this, it is up to the referee’s discretion to call held in this instance. The referee will always give an opportunity to the attacking player once he is in the in-goal to get the ball down. As long as the attacking player is still moving and has not been completely stopped, the referee will at his discretion give him the opportunity to get the ball down. Dugan is entitled to try to wrestle the ball to the ground.
What did you make of the decision ruling Shaun Fensom was held up?
I’m happy with the decision to call ‘held-up’ on Shaun Fensom’s attempt to score. The referee was in the perfect position.
Was the penalty and sin-bin of Phil Graham in Cowboys v Wests Tigers the right decision?
The decision to penalise and sin-bin Phil Graham was the correct decision. He took out Robbie Farah without the ball and because it is in a try-scoring situation, the referee had no choice but to send him to the sin-bin.
