The NRL is investigating a controversial penalty awarded against the Warriors during Saturday afternoon's clash with the Sharks, after a shot clock confusion proved costly in the side's narrow defeat.
The incident occurred when Warriors utility Chanel Harris-Tavita was preparing to take a goal-line dropout but was unable to see the countdown clock on the stadium's big screen due to an advertisement playing.
Seeking clarification, Harris-Tavita asked referee Gerard Sutton how much time remained on the shot clock.
According to on-field audio, Sutton informed him he had five seconds left.
However, just two seconds later, the buzzer signalled the expiration of the shot clock, prompting Sutton to penalise the Warriors for failing to complete the dropout in time.
“You said five seconds,” teammate Wayde Egan said.
“That's not my problem. If the buzzer goes and you haven't kicked it, it's a penalty,” Sutton responded.
The Sharks accepted the gift and kicked the penalty goal, with the two points ultimately proving decisive in their 10-8 victory over the Warriors.
Code Sports has since revealed that the NRL will investigate the incident.
It is understood the NRL is responsible for the competition's scoring systems and shot clocks, while the home club is responsible for managing the content displayed on the stadium's big screens. In this case, the Warriors were the home side.
The NRL is yet to determine where responsibility lies for the confusion.
The incident sparked criticism from former players and commentators, including Mat Rogers, who questioned the decision to penalise the Warriors after Sutton had provided Harris-Tavita with an incorrect time remaining.
“When you ask the question, because you can't see it on the clock, and the response is, ‘You've got five seconds, and you kick it in two … I never blow up. That's embarrassing,” he said.
“If the referee tells you you've got five seconds and you kick it in two. Five minus two is three. They've got three seconds left … when the referee tells you that, and then he's the one that penalises you, surely common sense is let's do a re-do there. Something's gone wrong, or you say just play on. Common sense.”
The investigation is expected to focus on whether the countdown was displayed correctly and whether communication between officials and players contributed to the error ultimately influenced the result.
