NRL defends referees despite 'crazy' six-again grand final blunder

Ben Cummins’ call attracts widespread criticismHead of football Graham Annesley backs officialsFor countless years the common refrain in rugby league has been “what if a decision like that decides a grand final?” And now the NRL are being forced to face that reality after referee Ben Cummins’ six-again blunder blighted the Sydney Roosters’ 14-8 win over Canberra in the season decider at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.The Roosters were skilful, brave and resolute as they held firm in the second half despite the sin-binning of Cooper Cronk to become the first back-to-back premiers in over 25 years. However, that will be sadly overshadowed as the incident promises to reverberate around the game. Related: Electricity courses through ANZ Stadium as Roosters stand up to intense pressure | Matt Cleary Related: Roosters deny Raiders in NRL grand final to claim successive titles Continue readingread full article

Source: TheGuardian

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