The Panthers can consider themselves lucky not to lose a man to the sin bin after halfback Brad Schneider wasn’t disciplined for what looked a clear professional foul on Tigers centre Justin Olam.
With the Tigers up 6-0 in the 12th minute, winger Junior Tupou made a break down the sideline, with Olam backing up in support.
However, just as Tupou was passing inside to a streaking Olam, the Tigers centre was tripped up by an ankle tap from Schneider and fell to the ground.
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“He’s clipped his ankles there hasn’t he? That’s a sin bin if he has,” Dan Ginnane said on Fox League.
“Absolutely. It has to be. It’s an absolute try scoring scenario. Surely if Olam takes that, he’s pretty much home,” Steve Roach replied.
“He was certain to score Olam.”
The ball hit the ground and eventually recovered by Penrith, however the Tigers challenged the no call.
“Justin Olam falls, this is a result of Brad Schneider,” the Bunker determined.
While the Tigers received a penalty, no sin bin was handed out to Schneider, much to the chagrin of Michael Ennis.
“How’s that not a professional foul? How’s that not a sin bin?” Ennis said.
“Olam was looming on the inside and Schneider blatantly ankle tapped him. It had to be a sin bin.
“Surely the Bunker’s got to come in there and say that’s a professional foul? Surely!” Roach added.
The decision proved a huge momentum shift in Penrith’s favour.
Had Olam not been tripped up, in all likelihood, he scores and the Tigers go ahead 12-0, however the Panthers scored the next two tries to lead 10-6 at the halftime break.
“That trip on Justin Olam. I’ve been pretty quiet about the refereeing, but I just feel like we’re not getting the rub of the green,” Tigers coach Benji Marshall said during the post-march press conference.
“That trip to me is what I would say is a professional foul in the act of a try-scoring opportunity, where Olam was supporting to try and score a try, and he gets tripped up. How’s that not a professional foul and a sin bin? I’ll ask for clarification, but yeah, that hurt us.
“It was a penalty, it’s a professional foul. So how does it not get sin binned?
“It feels like sometimes we’re not getting the rub of the green, it’s been a few weeks in a row now, so we’ll get some answers on that.
“I’m not going to say it would have helped us win the game or not, but there’s just things that change the momentum of the game. Even though we got the penalty, to play against 12 for ten minutes would have really helped us.”
Ginnane said the Panthers and Schneider will feel like the referee’s decision not to enforce a sin bin will even the ledger after the halfback was taken out by Aidan Sezer minutes earlier.
A penalty wasn’t given despite Sezer clipping Schneider’s legs just after he kicked a ball downfield. A similar incident resulted in a penalty to the Warriors against the Sea Eagles last week.
Josh Aloiai collected the legs of Warriors half Shaun Johnson which gave NZ a game-tying penalty goal. Aloiai also copped a one-week suspension for the incident.
“Well Schneider will feel like it’s even. He got taken out when he shouldn’t have and he should have been sent to the sin bin,” Ginnane said.
“Really surprised it wasn’t penalised. If it was called, then the Tigers don’t go and score in the next set,” Ennis said during the halftime show.
Despite no penalty being called, Sezer was put on report.
Originally published as ‘Not getting the rub of the green’: Marshall fumes at blatant missed sin bin