Former NRL forward James Graham has moved to stand behind his criticism of Ashley Klein during Sunday afternoon's semi-final between the Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs.
Working on Triple M radio, Graham - a former Bulldog - was irate at Klein for a decision to not send Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards to the sin bin after dragging Bulldogs forward Viliame Kikau back from jumping on a loose ball and potentially scoring the first points of the game after he had charged a kick down.
In the outburst, which is being reviewed by the NRL and could lead to Graham being penalised under the NRL's code of conduct, he labelled Klein a "bottleless git" and suggested the referee had "bottled it" as part of the tirade.
Speaking on his Bye Round Podcast though, Graham said he stands behind the criticism, and suggested Penrith coach Ivan Cleary would have been accepting of the call if it had been made.
"I stand by what I said, because if Liam Martin did the same thing and charges a kick down and Connor Tracey pulled him back, I would say Ashley Klein bottled it," Graham said on the show.
"Take away the blue and white, and the black and gold jerseys, I thought that decision was what you could describe as, from an English point of view, bottling it, or too nervous to make the call.
"I think that because it was so early in the game, Ashley Klein didn't know what to do.
"Did it change the game? I think Penrith probably still win anyway, but the opening exchanges would have looked very different.
"I felt as if that call, if Dylan Edwards is sent for ten minutes to the bin, whatever happens in the game, let's fast forward to the coaches press conference. Ivan Cleary would have been asked about the sin binning and I firmly believe he would have said it was acceptable."
Graham also explained exactly what the term "bottleless git" means.
“It's an English phrase. It means you sit on the fence,” he said.
“You're scared to make a call. You know a big call needs to be made.”
The NRL are yet to make comment on Graham's outburst ahead of this weekend's preliminary finals, where Graham is again expected to be involved in media coverage.
Graham said only what a lot of (non-partisan) fans feel.
NRL management should learn the value of keeping their mouths shut, letting the incident blow over, and thanking providence that the result of this match was not a one or two-point Penrith win.