From News Corp, god this article is a great read!! I take my hat off to Wayne, very well said and I couldn't have put it better myself!
NRL judiciary: Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett slams review panel over Latrell Mitchell suspension. Wayne Bennett has let fly with a stunning takedown of the NRL’s entire judiciary process.
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has launched a verbal assault on the NRL’s judiciary process, calling Latrell Mitchell’s four-week ban “ridiculous”.
The South Sydney coach claims Latrell Mitchell did not get fair justice because of the influence of media commentary over his tackle on David Nofoaluma, which he believes had a significant impact on the result.
That’s why Bennett has also called for the NRL to open up future judiciary hearings to the public so every fan can judge panel members as they judge players.
“Make us all accountable,” Bennett said.
He also went into bat for his under siege star, saying Mitchell was not a dirty player and in this instance the game has let him down terribly, declaring it “borders on the ridiculous”.
He was also furious at the fact NRL judiciary member Bob Lindner was allowed to be part of the decision-making process on Tuesday night via a Zoom video hook-up, which he found completely “disrespectful”.
Wayne Bennett has launched an empassioned defence of his star player, Latrell Mitchell, after the NRL review committee banned him for four matches. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images
Latrell ‘done over’
Bennett reckons in his 35 years as a head coach he has never seen a player treated more unfairly.
“That is why I am sticking up for him,” Bennett said.
“I have stuck up for other players, too.
“But this borders on the ridiculous and the unfair.
“I have never seen a player done over like he got done over.
“I just feel there has been an injustice done and it has been created by inconsistency.
“Of all the things that go into making a game of rugby league, this is the one area that has the most opportunity to get it right.
“Because they have the benefit of hindsight and numerous opportunities for replays and (viewing) all types of angles.
“But they are making more poor judgments than the players and referees who are under more pressure than anybody.
“Have I seen it in other seasons? Yes I have.
Mitchell’s suspension has caused significant controversy and could damage South Sydney’s premiership hopes.
Mitchell’s suspension has caused significant controversy and could damage South Sydney’s premiership hopes.
“But I am probably at a stage now where I am just more unforgiving than ever because it continually happens to the detriment of teams and clubs and players and fans.
“And nobody ever seems to be accountable for the fairness of charges.
“Everything that I say and do and my players say and do, we are all accountable for.
“And the referees are in the same boat.
“But there just seems to be a different set of rules when it comes to the review committee and the hearings themselves.
“And the panel members don’t have to give any reasons for their decisions.”
Which is why Bennett wants judiciary meetings open to the public, either televised or streamed over the internet, which the NRL has previously discussed as an option.
“Make us all accountable,” he continued.
“You can judge Latrell for what he has done. We should know why they determine what they determine.
“Yet they walk out and say ‘guilty’ or ‘downgraded’ and that is it, end of conversation.”
Where’s the transperancy?
Bennett said it makes absolutely no sense what he considered a grade one charge for Mitchell’s tackle on Nofoaluma ends in a four-week ban, especially when other more dangerous tackles this year have resulted in less or no punishment at all.
Bennett backed up his claims with a series of recent incidents that resulted in no charges.
These included a tackle by Manly’s Sean Keppie that concussed Adam Reynolds and didn’t so much as draw a penalty, Penrith’s Viliame Kikau’s crunching shot that left Canberra fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad with a budging disc in his neck, and a tackle from Newcastle’s Tyson Frizell that heavily concussed Gold Coast Phillip Sami.
“But a glancing blow to a player’s face that in my opinion wouldn’t be a strong grade one goes to a grade two that leads you down the path to a four-match suspension,” he said.
“What I know is that they (the match review) are reactive to the press and the media coverage.
Bennett labelled the entire judiciary process as “reactive” and “unfair”. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images
“And you don’t see a better example than on the weekend in the game against Wests Tigers.
“Every incident that the media decided Latrell did not play in the spirit of the game was put under the microscope and driven by the journalists and commentators.
“We have to remember here Latrell was only put on report for one incident.
“But there were other incidents over the weekend where you saw a similar type of behaviour, particular when tries were scored (for which Mitchell copped a grade one for knees into Tigers forward Luke Garner) which have been well documented and there has been no action because there was no commentary on them.
“So does the panel have the excuse that if no one sees it, do we let that go?”
Bennett also exposed another situation of double standards to specifically detail how ridiculous the process can be.
Souths’ Keaon Koloamatangi was charged for a crusher tackle in a game against Canterbury but the Bulldogs’ Jack Hetherington escaped sanction because his crusher on Cam Murray occurred in the act of Murray scoring a try.
“It is unbelievable that anyone can tell you that in the act of scoring a try you can do anything you like to your opponent,” Bennett said of the justification passed back to him directly from the NRL.
NRL: Paul Crawley believes Latrell Mitchell is too emotional on the field and it could cost South Sydney dearly in the long run
“You either did a crusher tackle or you didn’t.
“Now, I am talking about Souths here but I see it happening across other clubs as well, it is just not us.
“But here again Latrell has four weeks of suspensions, $3000 in fines, and there wasn’t a penalty, there wasn’t a stoppage in the game, there wasn’t an injury, there was no medical attention other than a splash of water, and the worst thing you can say about his contact on Nofoaluma was that it was a glancing blow brought about by the circumstances of the situation.
“I am not suggesting he should not have got charged for that. What I am saying is that it has to be in perspective of what actually happened.”
Not a dirty player
Asked if Mitchell was a dirty player who needed to pull his head in, Bennett fired back: “No, I don’t think he brings it on himself but he plays the game in a manner that is different to how Tedesco plays it.
“But he hasn’t got a history of bad behavior.
“He has three charges sitting on him here and two of them at least should have been concerning acts and the other in my opinion was a grade one, which is a fine, not a grade two and certainly not a four-match suspension.
“Does that make him bad?
“You look across the game and there were a number of those acts on the weekend but does anyone else have their character questioned like Latrell?
“We are not talking about an out of control player here.
“I am telling you that is not the case.”
Mitchell unsuccessfully defended his charges. Picture: Toby Zerna
‘Disrespectful’ zoom
Bennett only found out on Wednesday that judiciary panel member Lindner was not at the hearing.
To say he was flabbergasted was an understatement.
“I find it totally unacceptable,” Bennett said.
“There is no way I would want someone deciding my career or anything that was a serious event in my life with somebody in charge of making that decision on Zoom.
“There was a time in the game when Zoom meetings were required.
“That is not the case anymore.
“You need to be in that room.
“You need to have that conversation with your other members and you need to be able to look each other in the eye and feel what is going on in that room when you are deciding someone’s future.
“Imagine if that happened in a court of law and he was part of the jury?
“I can’t believe the NRL allowed it to happen.”
