The NRL is feisty and ferocious at the best of times with crunching tackles all over the pitch, but that is part and parcel of the game.
Although someone probably ought to have reminded Latrell Mitchell after he lost his cool in South Sydney Rabbitoh’s 28-12 Magic Round victory over the Melbourne Strom last weekend.
Mitchell clashed with Harry Storm when he was rather clumsy trying to take a catch, as he extended his knee into Storm’s back, which seemed to constitute reckless play.
But what followed next was remarkable and somewhat contentious as Mitchell emerged from the tackle by lashing out, striking Storm twice in the head. However, he escaped punishment from the on field match official.
Given the nature of Mitchell’s reaction, it seemed almost mystifying that he wasn’t sin-binned, let alone given a talking to. Oh, and there was no penalty awarded either.
This has led those in the NRL community, most notably journalists, suggesting that Mitchell was given favouritism by the referee, who seemed to be rather lenient with his decision-making.
One reporter, Paul Crawley, went further, and he suggested referees are worried about Mitchell, who seems to be “above the law”.
In a rather telling set of comments, he said: “I reckon it was almost a sin bin. It certainly wasn’t a classic punch but it warranted at the very least a reprimand.
“But to hear match referee Adam Gee say it was play and not penalise Mitchell for his total over-reaction was extraordinary.
“Fans from rival teams have a right to know why it seems Mitchell is above the law. This is where the lack of consistency makes the fans so angry.”
Like with most other sports, NRL matches are always decided on fine margins, especially in the upper reaches of the table when reaching the playoffs or Grand Final is at stake. Although the Rabbitohs benefitted from a refereeing decision, it didn’t impact the result in the context of their match, and they are likely to contend come the end of the season.
The Rabbitohs are the most successful teams in NRL Premiership history, and it is no surprise to see they are getting a lot of backing from plenty of top NRL online betting sites. That includes Unibet, who have priced the Rabbitohs at 7/2 just behind Penrith Panthers at 13/4 to lift the title come the end of the campaign. Unibet will also have a raft of tasty pre-match odds for bettors to tuck into ahead of each game.
While no NRL game is immune to controversy, there will have been a few Storm fans raging. As far as Mitchell is concerned, he will have to tread a line, although referees will need to stand up to him in the future and lay down the law.
