Wayne Bennett Expresses Confusion and Concern Over Inconsistent High Contact Decisions

Rabbitohs head coach Wayne Bennett found himself perplexed by several officiating calls during South Sydney’s disheartening 32-0 defeat to Canterbury at Accor Stadium on Good Friday.

Recently, the NRL committed to enforcing stricter rules around high-contact tackles, yet the impact of this enforcement was hard to discern, as instances of improper tackling often went unchecked.

A sin bin decision for a hip-drop tackle in the second half left Bennett particularly confused.

In light of growing concerns over high shots that had previously gone unpunished in the early stages of the season, the NRL communicated with clubs about high contact in round four and the resultant shortage of sin bin penalties.

This push for stricter enforcement then resulted in a surge of sin bin incidents, as players delivering shoulder-high challenges were sent off.

However, just three rounds later, it seems the initiative has been backtracked, evident in the number of head-high tackles observed during the traditional Good Friday clash.

Bulldogs second-rower Viliame Kikau found himself at the centre of multiple controversial moments.

He was put on report but escaped punishment in the 29th minute after a careless swinging arm that made contact with Campbell Graham’s head.

The hit resulted in a bloody gash, necessitating medical assistance for the winger.

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Shortly after, Rabbitohs’ Davvy Moale was penalised for an attempted shoulder charge on Kikau, who was falling in the tackle.

Despite the penalty and being put on report, Moale continued to play.

To add to the confusion, Bulldogs winger Marcelo Montoya was sent to the sin bin towards the end of the match for slapping Sean Keppie on the head.

In his post-match address, Bennett also expressed frustration at referee Grant Atkins’ inconsistency with his decisions and reports.

“I’m not even sure what constitutes a hip-drop tackle anymore,” he remarked.

“I’m equally as troubled by head-high tackles because some occurred today that didn’t warrant a sin bin.”

“Euan Aitken went to the sin bin for a minor touch on a player running through. I can accept that as a penalty, no issue there. But sending him off for 10 minutes?

“We’ve got another player needing stitches after a head-high tackle while [Kikau] is still on the field.”

The following morning, both Kikau and Moale received monetary fines from the NRL judiciary for their actions during the game.