The NRL has told bunker officials to only go back in play and order sin-bins in the most serious cases, after conceding match referees went too far on the weekend.

League officials spent Monday combing through the record 18 sin-bins from round eight, while pinning the blame firmly on players for a rise in high tackles.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo also insisted there was no crackdown in place, but only a “slight over-reaction” from referees after several missed sin-bins earlier this year.

It means the NRL will make no apology for continuing to sin-bin players where required at Magic Round, amid fears of a repeat of the 2021 fiasco in Brisbane.

But NRL bosses have conceded the bunker is interfering too often when play has continued after a high tackle.

While the bunker will still act as normal and recommend a punishment if the game is stopped by foul play, the bar will be lifted higher for video officials to intervene if the match is flowing.

“If the play has moved on and it’s marginal on whether they should be binned or not, then we should continue and allow the match review committee to deal with that,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley told AAP.

“If it’s at the lower end of the scale, we don’t want the game stopped and players put in the bin for incidents that can be dealt with by way of report and reviewed by the match committee later.

“But most of the examples that we’ve reviewed today from the weekend, we’re comfortable that the sin bin was the appropriate action.

“There were a couple that shouldn’t have been binned and a couple more that probably should have been binned.”

Latrell Mitchell is sent to the sin bin by referee Peter Gough. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Annesley stressed bunker officials would still have the power to go back and sin-bin or send off if required, and he was not concerned by the prospect of players staying down to delay play themselves.

Joey remains silent in protest

The change comes after the likes of rugby league Immortal  Andrew Johns labelled the current situation as “farcical”, “embarrassing” and “beyond a joke”.

Johns went as far as to remain silent in Nine commentary for the final 23 minutes of the Tigers’ golden-point win over Cronulla on Sunday, exasperated by a bunker decision to go back several plays and sin-bin Wests prop Fonua Pole.

But Annesley said the onus was on players, with a 95 per cent increase in high-tackle charges this season compared with the first eight rounds last year.

“Everyone has to accept some of the responsibility here,” he said. 

“It’s never been permissible in our game for players to make contact with the head and neck … this is not a new phenomenon.”

Annesley also said the league was attempting to close any gap between match officials and the review committee on sanctions for dangerous play.

Of the 31 players sin-binned for dangerous acts this season, 17 have received suspensions and 12 have been fined. Twice, players have not even been charged.

Alarmingly, the match review committee has also handed out 13 suspensions to players who the bunker did not deem worthy of sending to the sin bin.

It means that of the 44 players sin-binned or suspended this season, the bunker and match review committee’s stances have significantly differed on 15 of them.

“We work very hard to try and make sure we address those incidents with either the match officials or match review committee, where we feel one or the other has been off the mark,” Annesley said.

“In some cases, it can be that it’s understandable why the referees took the action that they did based on the information that they had to review.

“And it’s equally understandable why the match review committee made the decision they did based on the time that they had to examine it.”

Fate of players sin-binned in 2025

Players sin-binned for dangerous acts: 31

Suspended: 17

Fined: 12

Not charged: 2

Suspended players in 2025

Sin-binned in game: 17

Penalised in game: 5

On report, no penalty: 4

No penalty, no report: 4

Turbo still open to NSW, halves switch

It doesn’t get easier for Tom Trbojevic to sit on the sidelines, but his injury struggles won’t scare the Manly fullback from switching to five-eighth if required, or playing extra footy for NSW.

Pectoral, shoulder, hamstring and other injuries have combined to restrict Trbojevic to only 67 of a possible 129 appearances for Manly since the beginning of the 2020 season.

A two-word mantra helped Trbojevic cope with his latest setback, a three-week knee lay-off from which he returned against Penrith on Saturday.

“S*** happens, sometimes,” Trbojevic said of his injuries after Manly’s 26-10 win.

Tom Trbojevic makes a break. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“The quicker you can realise that and move forward (the better).

“You can only really say that you want to be out there playing. When you’re not, it’s disappointing, it’s hard, but life is hard sometimes.

“We’re very lucky we’ve got a lot of people in our corner that help in that area, but it doesn’t get easier.”

Trbojevic’s latest injury came only a day after Manly coach Anthony Seibold said he was a genuine halves option at Manly for 2026 once Daly Cherry-Evans departs.

Manly have since emerged as favourites to sign Canberra halfback Jamal Fogarty for next season, with the Raiders conceding they could not match the Sea Eagles’ offer of a three-year deal.

But playing Trbojevic at five-eighth next to Luke Brooks appears Manly’s contingency plan, given younger prospects Joey Walsh and Onitoni Large are still not considered ready for first grade.

In that case, Trbojevic would likely line up on the right side of the field, where he does his most destructive work in attack, rather than the five-eighth’s traditional left edge.

As well as learning a completely new position, playing five-eighth would mean defending in the front-line and opening himself up to a greater risk of injury.

Even after yet another injury setback, Trbojevic won’t be discouraged from playing five-eighth if that’s what Manly need.

“If I’m sitting back worrying about what’s going to happen, the reality is something bad probably will happen,” Trbojevic said.

“I understand people are going to talk about (the greater risk of injury) and that’s fine, but that’s not really my focus.

“It’s everyone else’s job to think that way. I’m confident when I’m back playing footy that I just want to play footy.

“If ‘Seibs’ and the coaching staff want me to play six, I’m happy to do it.”

Manly have the bye in Magic Round, but Trbojevic has two more games to reaffirm his State of Origin credentials after a hamstring issue thwarted his hopes of playing in last year’s series.

James Tedesco and Tom Trbojevic. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Traditionally an outside back in Origin, Trbojevic also memorably suffered a season-ending pectoral injury playing for NSW in Origin II, 2023.

Trbojevic conceded playing for NSW meant putting club footy second, but said he was not ready to turn his back on the representative arena.

“It’s a really hard one,” he said.

“You want to play for NSW, it’s a proud thing to do, but then again you don’t want that to take away from Manly.

“(But) I don’t think I’m willing to give that up just yet, I really love playing for NSW.”

Bears on the hunt for Haas

Broncos prop Payne Haas is set to be the first big target for the Perth Bears franchise with the expansion team reportedly keen to make him their marquee signing when they enter the competition in 2027.

According to a report on 100% Footy on Monday night, Brisbane officials are aware of the threat from the west as they try to get their forward leader’s signature on a contract extension.

Haas is a chance of earning the richest contract in the history of the sport, trumping the $1.2 million a season that the Titans offered David Fifita to entice him from the Broncos.

The 25-year-old is entering the prime of his career and would give the Bears instant credibility up front if they were able to land someone of his stature for their inaugural season.

Payne Haas pushes away Scott Drinkwater. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Canterbury general manager Phil Gould warned on the same program that the introduction of the Perth team and the PNG franchise a year later would significantly inflate salaries across the board.

“Throughout history, every time there’s been a new franchise introduced to the game there’s been an inflation of player payments, early contract signings to keep the one’s you want to keep or we know that the new club’s going to be investing 12 months in advance,” he said.

“It’s a delicate situation but I don’t think there’s any panic out there at the moment.”

with AAP