The NRL is standing firm on their handling of State of Origin's fight night, with Andrew Abdo adamant it's right for players to serve their bans in club football.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Abdo, in particular, has come under fire in recent days with Manly and South Sydney furious at losing Haumole Olakau'atu and Cameron Murray respectively.
Both forwards have been ordered to miss two club games for their involvement in Wednesday's sideline brawl, after running off the NSW bench to join the melee.
South Sydney boss Blake Solly has since labelled the NRL's rules as "ridiculous", while drawing support from Manly counterpart Tony Mestrov in calling for representative bans to only be served in representative matches.
But the NRL appear unlikely to relent.
The NRL overhauled the judicial process for representative matches in 2022, meaning only players charged with grade-three offences face bans.
In the time since, only Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Murray and Olakau'atu have been suspended out of Origin matches.
"Two years ago we worked with the clubs to come up with that new system for representative matches," Abdo told AAP.
"It focused heavily on ensuring match suspensions were only reserved for very serious matters.
"Of the last 29 charges for representative fixtures, only three have resulted in match suspensions. It would indicate that the system is working."
The NRL's 2022 changes saved each of Jeremiah Nanai, Brian To'o, Reuben Cotter and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow for being suspended after copping grade-two charges following the fight.
It also reduced Olakau'atu's ban from four matches to two, given prior offences in club football are no longer factored into suspensions from Origin matches.
"On seeing the actions of what occurred, it would be very difficult to argue that it was not very serious," Abdo said.
"We can't have a situation where players are not involved on the field, but are involving themselves in the actions of foul play.
"So I'm really comfortable with what occurred."
Complexities implementing a soccer-like system of bans being confined to internationals include the limited number of representative games played in rugby league.
Other challenges would be how Suaalii's four-match ban from Origin I could be served, given he is leaving rugby league for union at year's end.
The NRL also remain comfortable with the charges handed down from Origin III, which included $26,100 in fines being paid by eight players.
While 19th man Olakau'atu and interchange player Murray both ran from the Blues bench, Payne Haas, Matt Burton and Felise Kaufusi were also fined after becoming entangled while off the field at the time of the fight.
"My understanding is the match review committee broke it into three categories, with a lot happening and a lot of people involved," head of football Graham Annesley said.
"Those who were in there, involved and participating. Then those that ran in but didn't necesarily try and escalate it. They were trying to quell it.
"And then, the third category were players who had no right to be there."
Annesley will review referee audio on Monday from the fight, and whether Ashley Klein initially suggested Murray should be sent off for running in.
But the NRL's football boss said there was no mandatory sin-bin or send-off rule and indicated he was comfortable with the decision for Murray to be binned.
These are circumstances that were highly unusual, where a melee did erupt around the bench somewhere," Annesley said.
"I don't think you can have a hard-and-fast rule on any of these matters. I think it has to be assessed on its merit."
Australian Associated Press
