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Wests Tigers test dodgy Leichhardt siren
Date - April 17, 2014 - 11:41PM
Chris Barrett
Sports Writer
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Wests Tigers received a "please explain" from the NRL over their own siren debacle at Leichhardt Oval and spent Thursday testing the device and establishing a contingency plan at the historic ground before their next match there on Sunday week.
As the rumblings continued after Monday night's controversial finale to St George Illawarra's trip to Melbourne – when the Dragons were robbed after the Storm were allowed to play the ball and score a try despite the final siren having sounded a split second before – the Tigers moved to ensure a repeat of the fiasco at Leichhardt in round five was not repeated.
Mick Potter's team is due back at Balmain's spiritual home in round eight when it faces the Gold Coast Titans, a match that will arrive a fortnight after captain Robbie Farah's prophetic warning that a siren stuff-up "is going to cost a team a big game".
The incident in the Tigers-Manly clash 12 days ago was different to the episode on Monday that continues to enrage the Dragons, but left Farah furious at referee Ashley Klein.
A try to Sea Eagles captain Jamie Lyon was allowed to stand despite the play-the-ball that preceded it occurring after time in the first half had elapsed. A 26-0 Tigers lead was reduced to 26-6, with officials saying the manually released siren at Leichhardt had not gone off. The hosts went on to win in driving rain 34-18.
The controversial incident when time expired but play went on during the recent Wests Tigers v Manly clash at Leichhardt Oval.
"We got a please explain letter from the NRL, which is absolutely understandable on the back of what happened. So we were literally out there testing this morning on site," Tigers chief executive Grant Mayer said.
"It seems it was as simple as a malfunction, but the key priority now is to make sure there is a back-up if there is a malfunction so you don't lose as much time as perhaps we did. Leichhardt is an outstanding old venue but some of the technology is probably not quite where it needs to be."
The timekeeper at Sunday week's match against the Titans will have a hand-held siren with them in case of a repeat failure of the button-operated Leichhardt hooter.
"From what I understand it wasn't so much the noise [at the ground], it was the length of time the siren went for," Mayer said. "When it went off, it was too short in its blast.
"If everything else fails, you go to the old [hand-held siren] and you put it across the microphone. It obviously still comes out exceptionally loudly."
Meanwhile, one of the coaches involved in AFL's ''Sirengate'' episode in 2006 said the Dragons deserved to be awarded the competition points following Monday night's extraordinary finish. Chris Connolly was in charge of Fremantle at a game against St Kilda in Launceston when the Saints secured a draw with a behind 20 seconds after the final siren had sounded. The AFL later reversed the result, giving all four competition points to the Dockers.
The NRL has made clear it will not be following that example with the Dragons, who were beaten 24-22 at AAMI Park thanks to Storm winger Young Tonumaipea's controversial try.
"I think commonsense prevailed in the AFL and I would think that if the NRL were going to be fair and reasonable, I think commonsense should prevail there too," said Connolly, who is a Storm supporter .
Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin said on Thursday the NRL should consider copying its rival code's model.
‘‘My suggestion to the league is, like AFL, once the hooter goes it’s time up,’’ Griffin said. ‘‘Rather than whether there’s a play or whether there wasn’t a play, because that can be hard for the referee when you’ve got crowds screaming and what not. That might be a fair way of clarifying it so the referees aren’t put in that position.’’
Date - April 17, 2014 - 11:41PM
Chris Barrett
Sports Writer
\
\
Wests Tigers received a "please explain" from the NRL over their own siren debacle at Leichhardt Oval and spent Thursday testing the device and establishing a contingency plan at the historic ground before their next match there on Sunday week.
As the rumblings continued after Monday night's controversial finale to St George Illawarra's trip to Melbourne – when the Dragons were robbed after the Storm were allowed to play the ball and score a try despite the final siren having sounded a split second before – the Tigers moved to ensure a repeat of the fiasco at Leichhardt in round five was not repeated.
Mick Potter's team is due back at Balmain's spiritual home in round eight when it faces the Gold Coast Titans, a match that will arrive a fortnight after captain Robbie Farah's prophetic warning that a siren stuff-up "is going to cost a team a big game".
The incident in the Tigers-Manly clash 12 days ago was different to the episode on Monday that continues to enrage the Dragons, but left Farah furious at referee Ashley Klein.
A try to Sea Eagles captain Jamie Lyon was allowed to stand despite the play-the-ball that preceded it occurring after time in the first half had elapsed. A 26-0 Tigers lead was reduced to 26-6, with officials saying the manually released siren at Leichhardt had not gone off. The hosts went on to win in driving rain 34-18.
The controversial incident when time expired but play went on during the recent Wests Tigers v Manly clash at Leichhardt Oval.
"We got a please explain letter from the NRL, which is absolutely understandable on the back of what happened. So we were literally out there testing this morning on site," Tigers chief executive Grant Mayer said.
"It seems it was as simple as a malfunction, but the key priority now is to make sure there is a back-up if there is a malfunction so you don't lose as much time as perhaps we did. Leichhardt is an outstanding old venue but some of the technology is probably not quite where it needs to be."
The timekeeper at Sunday week's match against the Titans will have a hand-held siren with them in case of a repeat failure of the button-operated Leichhardt hooter.
"From what I understand it wasn't so much the noise [at the ground], it was the length of time the siren went for," Mayer said. "When it went off, it was too short in its blast.
"If everything else fails, you go to the old [hand-held siren] and you put it across the microphone. It obviously still comes out exceptionally loudly."
Meanwhile, one of the coaches involved in AFL's ''Sirengate'' episode in 2006 said the Dragons deserved to be awarded the competition points following Monday night's extraordinary finish. Chris Connolly was in charge of Fremantle at a game against St Kilda in Launceston when the Saints secured a draw with a behind 20 seconds after the final siren had sounded. The AFL later reversed the result, giving all four competition points to the Dockers.
The NRL has made clear it will not be following that example with the Dragons, who were beaten 24-22 at AAMI Park thanks to Storm winger Young Tonumaipea's controversial try.
"I think commonsense prevailed in the AFL and I would think that if the NRL were going to be fair and reasonable, I think commonsense should prevail there too," said Connolly, who is a Storm supporter .
Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin said on Thursday the NRL should consider copying its rival code's model.
‘‘My suggestion to the league is, like AFL, once the hooter goes it’s time up,’’ Griffin said. ‘‘Rather than whether there’s a play or whether there wasn’t a play, because that can be hard for the referee when you’ve got crowds screaming and what not. That might be a fair way of clarifying it so the referees aren’t put in that position.’’
