It comes after a previous crackdown from referees to protect player safety.
Fans and commentators have slammed the state of NRL officiating after questioning why Wests Tigers recruit Jarome Luai didn’t go to the sin bin for a high tackle on Warriors forward Edward Kosi on Sunday. The Tigers were unable to hold on for their third-straight win after leading by six points in the second half, with a superb solo try from Leka Halasima and a penalty goal from Luke Metcalf helping the visitors snatch a 26-24 win.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall bemoaned afterwards that his side didn’t get the rub of the green after seemingly taking issue with the penalty that allowed Metcalf to kick the winning goal. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was hit high from Alex Seyfarth in a tackle that saw the Tigers forward put on report but the Warriors fullback stayed down long enough for the bunker to check the tackle and give his side the crucial penalty.
The incident proved telling and Nicoll-Klokstad insisted afterwards that he would never try and milk penalties after coming under fire for lying down from some fans. But suggestions the Tigers were dudded because of the incident were a little short-sighted considering many believed their co-captain and halfback Luai should have been sent to the bin for an earlier high shot.
Luai was also put on report early in the second half when he launched into a tackle on Kosi and collected the Warriors player high and in the head, with the point of his shoulder. Kosi had to leave the field for an HIA but was able to return. And Fox League commentator Warren Smith pointed out that in previous years Luai would have been binned for that sort of tackle and the referees had seemingly backflipped on their crackdown on head contact.
NRL fans stunned Jarome was not sin-binned for high shot
“Now in 2024 and in seasons before that, the action from Jarome Luai I’m pretty certain would have seen him go to the sin bin,” Smith said. “There appears to be a winding back around contact with the head in 2025 and what is deemed a sin-binnable offence.” Plenty of fans agreed, with some saying it was a “joke” that Luai was allowed to stay on the field.
Nicoll-Klokstad also made note of the incident after defending himself over the backlash around his penalty. “Edward Kosi got hit pretty much exactly the same. When it’s obvious, it’s a penalty,” Nicoll-Klokstad said. “If it’s illegal, it’s illegal.” However, Warriors coach Andrew Webster refused to be drawn on whether he thought Luai should have been binned.
When I watched it live, Ed’s head jolted and I saw obviously that Ed needed to come from the field,” Webster said. “And that’s the frustrating bit, I’m not critical of Jarome, things happen in football. “But I’m more critical of the situation where you keep losing players… and they keep their whole formation.”
Benji Marshall bemoans that his Tigers ‘got no favours’
The Tigers lost Adam Doueihi to a groin injury in the warm-up and then Samuela Fainu to a knee issue in the first half, to compound their injury problems after Jeral Skelton (hamstring) was ruled out earlier in the week. And Tigers coach Marshall said he was proud of the way his men fought despite taking a thinly veiled swipe at the refereeing.
I’m disappointed for the boys, with the result not going our way,” Marshall said. “But the amount of adversity we had today that we had to get through … as a coach and a club, we’re really proud of the effort, even though we got no favours today. That was pretty obvious.”
Marshall would not be drawn to address refereeing decisions as the NRL moves to take a stricter stance on coaches commenting on match officials. “You were watching the game, you write whatever you think,” he told the press. I don’t want to do what Ricky (Stuart, Canberra coach) did. I don’t want to risk getting fined.”
