Brandon Smith cops ban for his 'cheating bastard' remark at ref
Brandon Smith will miss Melbourne’s next three games after being referred directly to the NRL judiciary for referee dissent.
The Storm hooker called referee Adam Gee a “cheating bastard” during the Storm’s 28-6 loss to Cronulla and was sent to the sin bin.
Smith took issue with Gee’s decision not to award his side a set restart midway through the second half after maintaining Cronulla’s Aiden Tolman had made a second effort in a tackle.
A contrite and forlorn Smith appeared before the NRL judiciary via video link on Tuesday night.
“In the heat of the moment I was extremely frustrated and I took it out on the wrong person,” Smith said.
“I said things that should never be said to an official.
“I will accept any consequence that (the judiciary) comes up with and I will accept it graciously.
“I am genuinely sorry to the game and to the referee.”
Prior to the hearing, Gee told the NRL he had heard Smith call him both a “f***ing cheating p***k” and a “cheating bastard”.
However, Smith said Gee had misheard and that he had actually said “f*** me” in self-admonishment.
Lachlan Gyles SC, counsel for the NRL, did not dispute Smith’s version of events but said suggesting the referee had cheated carried “serious connotations” about the NRL’s integrity.
Gyles suggested a suspension of at least four weeks, pointing to Smith’s status as a senior player with significant popularity amongst impressionable young fans.
He said as the premier rugby league competition in the world, the NRL needed to set a higher standard of player behaviour than any other competition and implored the judiciary to impose a suspension that would deter players from committing similar offences.
Representing Smith, Nicolaous Ghabar said a suspension of four weeks or more would not account for Smith’s early guilty plea nor his contrition.
Ghabar said Smith’s decision to enter an early guilty plea, to immediately leave the field rather than argue with Gee and to apologise afterwards all showed remorse.
Ghabar submitted a character reference from New Zealand coach Michael Maguire, who said Smith was “an exceptionally passionate and committed player” but one who “has always shown he is very respectful of authority and match officials”.
In his reference, Maguire said he found Smith’s comment to have been “out of character”.
Chaired by the Honourable Justice Geoff Bellew and comprised of retired player Tony Puletua and former referee Paul Simpkins, the judiciary deliberated for roughly 10 minutes before imposing Smith’s sanction.
“Offending of this nature has a potentially adverse effect on young players who seek to emulate those playing the NRL competition …and an adverse effect on those who might aspire to become match officials,” Bellew said.
However, the judiciary was satisfied Smith had been genuinely remorseful for his actions, which influenced their decision to impose a sanction less severe than that suggested by the NRL’s counsel.
Smith’s suspension won’t help the Storm’s battle to keep their spot in the top four.
Melbourne have lost their last two games so are now only two points clear of fifth-placed Brisbane and will be without Smith for clashes against Canberra, South Sydney and the Warriors.
Harry Grant is set to start at hooker in Smith’s absence against the Raiders on Sunday, provided he can make it through Wednesday’s State of Origin decider unscathed.
Josh King has been named at lock, Smith’s other position of choice.
Comments on RugbyPass
Loved that comment by Andrew that the ‘water boys’ rule was changed in 2020 just to stymie the Boks!
26 Go to commentsOne of the best the Boks have ever produced. PSDT has an engine that goes non-stop for the full 80 min.
5 Go to commentsThe real deal.
5 Go to commentsIt’s been said that Nienaber will head back to SA too before next World Cup , hoarding all the amazing IP gained in Irish system … get a grip … Irish system needs to Milk the likes of Barrett . First time a leading all Black in his prime has gone to Ireland for any period of time . Enjoy it .
20 Go to comments20 min RC is the only good solution of a bunch of bad solutions. Ridiculous that it has taken this long and caused so many uneven contests. In general these are all very good changes - one is surprised that NH brokers were able to see sense at long last.
7 Go to comments“While a red card will mean a temporary team disadvantage, the replacement system will focus punishment on the offending player instead of disrupting the game itself.” This might work for amateur rugby, where players just want to be on the pitch for as long as possible, but hopefully we’ve got to a point where top level professionals care about the success of their team much more than about whether they personally are on the pitch or not.
7 Go to commentsa lot of focus on the targeting of south africa, but aspects of this are positive. The croc roll; the offside law; and time limits on set pieces are all good. calling for a mark off kick offs is baffling, but I guess we’ll see how it plays out in practice
26 Go to commentsSpeeding the game up is great, but I think we will find that the increase in viewership this year mostly comes down to the competition being more competitive…the fall of the Crusaders has been a boon for viewership. This should be at the heart of super rugby changes - how to make the comp more even
23 Go to commentsThe fact that the press were largely to blame for his taking a break is nothing short of disgusting. He’s made a few mistakes but difficult to name a player of any substance who gives it a full go hasn’t also made mistakes? On behalf of a large number of Bokke fans, bring back Farrell !!!!!
1 Go to commentsPSTD is a fantastic flanker. He could benefit from a bit of self-promotion / flair and he is not quite the danger man that Ardie is. That said, he is my 1st pick to build a backrow around. His speed and hustle made up for Duane who got quite a bit slower at the 8.
5 Go to commentssurprised, disco lights haven't been banned by world rugby board
26 Go to commentsToo many changes. Too often. I’m tired of this WR administration. How do we vote these fockers out? Bill needs to go.
26 Go to commentsDu Toit, 2 time W.Cup winner yet rarely mentioned a “Great “…if one looks back on his stellar carrier perhaps someone will one day elevate him to “Richie” status…a quiet, polite yet devastating loose forward that knew action speaks louder than words..
5 Go to commentsI like the offside rule, but this won't affect my team because all their kicks gets chased and that putts everyone on side. Lekker manne!
26 Go to comments20 minute Red Card is untenable. If you don’t punish the whole team, coaches won’t be sufficently incentivised to pick players with, or coach better tackle technique.
7 Go to commentsI can only think of One time ever a team has opted for a scrum from a free kick… Why the law change I wonder
26 Go to commentsYeah, its not going to work. But we see you World Rugby.
26 Go to commentsLove the reaction after last 2 W.Cups re rule changes…maybe good for more for more of a “ league” type running game( which I personally don’t like) but seems Rassie is definitely in ther heads…
26 Go to commentsGreat. More unwanted changes. Because these always work out well.
26 Go to commentsI’m sure South Africa’s opponents will rejoice at World Rugby minimising one of the Boks’ most potent weapons, but you just know Rassie is cooking something up with free-kicks that no-one else has thought of. Let them play checkers. Rassie’s playing chess. 😂
26 Go to comments