‘How do you call that a punch?’ NRL greats SLAM bunker for Victor Radley’s controversial sin-bin in ferocious finals clash between Roosters and Rabbitohs
- Victor Radley was sin-binned after just four minutes of elimination final
- Bunker ruled Roosters firebrand had punched Souths back Taane Milne
- Andrew Johns, Greg Alexander and Steve Roach slammed the decision
- Radley was sin-binned again in the second half of explosive encounter
A host of NRL greats slammed the Bunker after Victor Radley was controversially sin-binned in the elimination final between the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The fiercest rivalry more than lived up to its powder-keg reputation, with six players sin-binned in the first 60 minutes of an explosive clash at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Radley was the first to be given his marching orders just four minutes into the context after he was adjudged to have punched Souths back Taane Milne.
Victor Radley received a controversial sin-bin four minutes into the elimination final
The Roosters firebrand and Milne got involved in a scuffle on the ground, with play initially allowed to continue.
Referee Ashley Klein, however, suddenly halted the game after an intervention from the Bunker and sent Radley to the bin, explaining the video referee had spotted him throwing a punch.
‘It’s been identified that a punch and you’re in the bin,’ Klein told Radley.
Replays showed Radley had his fist close to Milne’s head as they wrestled on the ground, but Johns suggested there was not enough conclusive evidence to warrant a sin-bin.
Radley and Souths back Taane Milne scuffled on the ground before the Roosters firebrand was marched for apparently punching the Bunnies star
‘Do they [the Bunker and Klein] understand what’s at stake here?,’ Andrew Johns said while on commentary for Nine. ‘Look at Victor. He is filthy.’
New South Wales coach Brad Fittler was similarly critical of the decision.
‘It was quite obvious early how this game was going to be played and the referees needed to have a cool head about it,’ he said.
‘What Victor did was absolutely nothing […] it was over-aggressive, yes, but a sin bin, no.’
Radley was furious with referee Ashley Klein as he walked off the field
On Fox League, meanwhile, Steve Roach and Greg Alexander were of a similar opinion.
‘That wouldn’t have knocked a maggot off a chop,’ the former said.
Alexander added: ‘It was a push. It looked like he got the elbow back but didn’t go through with it. How do you call that a punch? […] It was a push punch. Unbelievable.’
Radley received a second yellow card with 20 minutes left, while Milne also paid two visits in the bin as he was yellow carded halfway through the first stanza and then after 65 minutes.
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