NRL Chief Graham Annesley Clarifies Concerns Surrounding Press Conference Restrictions

The NRL’s head of football, Graham Annesley, has provided clarification regarding the regulations surrounding press conferences and criticisms directed at referees following a period of confusion over the first four rounds of the season.

In early March, NRL chief executive, Andrew Abdo, sent a notice to all head coaches stressing the importance of refraining from post-match criticism of referees.

Up until round three, all coaches complied with these directives, but Ricky Stuart crossed the line when he questioned his team’s position in the six-again count.

The vocal coach of the Raiders avoided direct criticism of referee Grant Atkins and escaped a fine, stating instead, “I hope Andrew Abdo has an answer for us all.”

After the Tigers’ round four defeat to the Warriors, coach Benji Marshall mentioned his team “received no favours” but opted not to elaborate, referencing Stuart’s comments.

“I don’t intend to do what Ricky did and risk being fined by discussing the referees because we’re not permitted to, so I’ll refrain from bringing it up. I don’t think it’s allowed,” he stated.

While speaking on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports Radio, Annesley outlined the boundaries of what coaches are allowed to express when it comes to critiquing officials.

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“The guidelines regarding coaches’ comments under our code of conduct are unequivocal. They are forbidden from making derogatory remarks about match officials or questioning their performance and integrity,” he explained.

“They are permitted to make valid observations regarding the game. For instance, they can say, ‘that incident in the 45th minute, I didn’t agree with that’, which is perfectly acceptable. But they cannot imply that a different standard has been applied to their team as opposed to their opponents.

“Any implication that calls into question the integrity or performance of the referee is not allowed, yet they can express disagreement with specific decisions.”

Annesley further stated that coaches “certainly haven’t been silenced.”

“They attend press conferences to discuss the game; we merely want to prevent them from unnecessarily attacking or making derogatory comments about match officials – these rules have been in place for quite some time,” he added.