Bennett Questions “Harsh” Eight-Point Try Decision After Rabbitohs’ Narrow Victory
South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has expressed his strong disapproval of a rare eight-point try awarded against his team, describing the decision as “harsh” and questioning its justification. The controversial moment occurred during the Rabbitohs’ hard-fought 20-16 win over the Wests Tigers on Saturday night, a victory that secured their second win of the NRL season.
The incident unfolded just before halftime when Tigers player Heamasi Makasini capitalised on a dropped ball to score. In a desperate attempt to prevent the try, Rabbitohs centre Latrell Mitchell lunged at Makasini. However, instead of dislodging the ball, Mitchell’s action resulted in contact with Makasini’s face.
This foul play, occurring in the act of scoring, led to the unprecedented punishment of an eight-point try for the Tigers. Under NRL rules, when foul play by a defender prevents a try, the attacking team is awarded two penalty goals in addition to the try. The bunker official deemed this rare sanction appropriate in this instance.
Following the match, Mitchell was subsequently charged by the NRL’s match review committee on Sunday. He received a $1000 fine for a Grade 1 careless high tackle. In a separate incident, Rabbitohs hooker Api Koroisau was fined $1800 for a dangerous contact charge, specifically for tripping Jye Gray.
Bennett’s Disagreement with the Eight-Point Try
In his post-match press conference, a clearly unimpressed Bennett argued that the eight-point try was an overly severe penalty. He drew a comparison to an earlier incident in the game where Jye Gray was hit in the head, a situation he felt was more serious but did not result in a sin-binning or such a significant penalty.
“Well, the same thing happened with Jye Gray, he got hit in the head and we got a penalty for that,” Bennett stated. “I mean Latrell didn’t deliberately play at his head. He played at the ball. He tried to get the ball and knock it out of his hands, so I thought it was harsh.”
He elaborated on his perspective, suggesting that while a penalty was warranted, the added two points were excessive. “But maybe I’m wrong. I don’t know what else he can do there. There was obviously a penalty there. But I think it’s added two points to it. That was my feeling on it. And if you look at those instances, you’ll see that Jye probably got hit harder than what Makasini did.”
Rabbitohs’ Performance and Tigers’ Injury Concerns
Bennett also expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s overall performance, particularly given that they were facing a depleted Wests Tigers outfit. The Tigers themselves were plagued by injuries during the game, with Jarome Luai and Adam Doueihi forced from the field.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall provided an update on Doueihi, expressing hope that his injury was merely hamstring “tightness” rather than a more severe strain or tear. Regarding Luai, Marshall indicated that while the five-eighth’s injury did not appear to be an ACL rupture, he was still expected to be sidelined for several weeks. “It doesn’t look good. He’s going to get scans obviously. Medical staff say he will be out for a little bit. Hopefully maybe four (weeks),” Marshall commented.
The Rabbitohs’ victory, though secured, was overshadowed by the contentious eight-point try and Bennett’s strong views on its fairness, highlighting ongoing debates about the interpretation and application of the game’s rules.
