NSW’s senior players have called on the referees to put their whistles away in Wednesday’s State of Origin opener in Melbourne.
Debate over referees and the significant increase in penalties has dominated the NRL this season, following a crackdown on ruck infringements, offsides and play-the-balls.
NRL boss Todd Greenberg confirmed in April that the crackdown would continue into Origin if needed, however he’d hoped players would have become more disciplined by then.
But Fox Sports Stats shows referees are still calling infringements an extra five times per game on last year with round 11 and round 12 both above the season average before a dip over the shortened round 13.
And Blues second-rower Tyson Frizell – a member of the team’s leadership group – called for a more open approach to Origin.
“I hope it goes back to what they’ve been doing with Origin,” Frizell said.
“It is a different game. It’s not what we want to see – penalties being blown every two sets.
“Hopefully we can have a free-flowing game and entertaining game that everyone can watch.”
The increase in penalties has already resulted in more kicks on penalty goal than in the whole of last year, while the league is on track for more than 100 players being sent to the sin-bin for the first time in the NRL-era.
But there is some hope for less stoppages in Origin.
While the appointment of referees has been a point of contention all week, figures show whistleblower Gerard Sutton’s games have had the least penalties this year with 13.9.
That’s 1.5 less than the nearest referee Matt Noyen who has 15.4.
His assistant on Wednesday night, Ashley Klein, sits just under the season average with 17.58 while the dropped Matt Cecchin is the third highest blower of penalties with 19.83.
Sutton also officiated last week’s top-of-the-table clash between Penrith and St George Illawarra, when just six penalties were blown in the whole first half.
“I thought the Penrith-Dragons game we just played when it was a big top-of-the-table clash was probably better and there wasn’t so many penalties,” Penrith and NSW five-eighth James Maloney said.
“Fingers crossed you would hope (it’s like that). Everyone likes the way of State of Origin is, you’d hope you can keep it as a really entertaining game.”