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Greg Inglis and his OBVIOUS knock-on

In an unexpected turn, referees coach Bill Harrigan is scrambling to retain his position after losing backing from the sport’s leading referees.

NRL chief David Gallop has announced that he obtained a document outlining Harrigan’s shortcomings as referees coach following a confidential meeting yesterday with Brad Fittler and two officials.

Reports indicate that referees are concerned about the future of their development if Harrigan remains in his current position.

Their frustration escalated after Harrigan’s directive for them to refrain from commenting on the controversial decision to award Greg Inglis a try in the State of Origin last week – dubbed the GI joke incident – a choice that the referees privately acknowledge was incorrect, yet Harrigan has defended it.

Gallop has forwarded the document to Nathan McGuirk, Harrigan’s direct supervisor, for assessment but refrained from commenting on possible consequences.

“There are definitely issues we need to examine, and we will do so,” Gallop stated.

It is highly likely that Harrigan along with co-coach Stuart Raper will be reassigned, with Russell Smith or Tony Archer poised to take their places.

Gallop mentioned that Fittler initiated the meeting.

“I catch up with Freddy occasionally regarding various topics, and he requested to meet with him and a couple of referees,” he explained.

While Fittler was hesitant to elaborate, he did confirm the gathering was to address the increasing discontent with Harrigan.

“I’ve developed a bit of a rapport with the referees, taken an interest, simply for the sake of the game,” Fittler remarked.

“In my view, the game requires significant refinement, which isn’t occurring. We’re at a crucial point where we need the right individuals in appropriate roles.”

After the meeting, Gallop traveled to Wagga Wagga but not before instructing McGuirk to initiate an immediate investigation. The referees’ ultimate frustration stemmed from how Harrigan defended Inglis’s try, claiming it was due to a “rebound.”

During a “please explain” session with Gallop on Tuesday night, Harrigan maintained that the decision was accurate.

Audio recordings from the video referee’s booth reveal discussions about whether Blues hooker Robbie Farah intentionally or unintentionally knocked the ball free from Inglis’s hold.

Remarkably, there was no mention of the ball making contact with Inglis’s arm once it was released.

The subsequent morning, during a radio appearance on Triple M’s The Grill Team, Harrigan made no mention of Inglis’s second touch.

However, later that day, Harrigan finally acknowledged the second touch and described it as a “rebound” – a determination drawn from other areas of the rulebook but not directly related to the rules for scoring tries.

Buford Balony says: It’s about time. Anyone who believes that Inglis scored in the Origin should steer clear of officiating as that decision is the worst in Origin history!

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