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Damning Mitch Barnett post-match image prompts backlash amid fresh Stephen Crichton news

The Bulldogs were fortunate to escape two head-high tackles in the game.

riley morgan
Sports Reporter

Stephen Crichton is facing a one-match ban for his ugly shoulder on Roger Tuivasa-Sheck on Friday night after a telling image of Mitch Barnett attending to a cut from a head-high shot in his post-match press conference emerging. Crichton is facing a one game NRL ban for his shoulder to the head of Warriors star Tuivasa-Sheck, which only earned a penalty instead of a sin-bin at a pivotal moment of the game.

Crichton can fight the ban, but could face a two-match suspension if he loses. Regardless of his ban, NRL fans have blasted the inconstancy of the officiating with Manly's Haumole Olakau’atu sent to the bin for similar incident in the Sea Eagles' loss to the Wests Tigers on Thursday.

Mitch Barnett (pictured) was also hit high from Max King, who escaped a sin-bin, as the fallout from the Stephen Crichton drama continues. (images: Fox Sports/Getty Images)
Mitch Barnett (pictured) was also hit high from Max King, who escaped a sin-bin, as the fallout from the Stephen Crichton drama continues. (images: Fox Sports/Getty Images)

The Warriors feel they were dudded with Tuivasa-Sheck ruled out of the game and forcing coach Andrew Webster to reshuffle the team. This is while the Bulldogs were only punished with a penalty. Tuivasa-Sheck is now set to miss the club's last game of the season due to the 11-day stand down rule for a category one concussion.

However, one moment that went under the radar in the clash was Barnett getting his eye cut open from a head-high tackle from Max King. The Bulldogs prop charged into Barnett in the 72nd minute.

The Warriors forward was left fuming as he was ordered to play the ball with blood pouring from his eye socket. Barnett was adamant the tackle should face punishment and refused to play the ball.

After not budging, the referee then claimed the Bunker had looked at the tackle and King was put on report. However, the commentator claimed it also could have been a sin-bin like the Crichton tackle.

Mitch Barnett (pictured) was left bloodied and bruised after a high-shot from Max King. (Image: NRL.com.au)
Mitch Barnett (pictured) was left bloodied and bruised after a high-shot from Max King. (Image: NRL.com.au)

"That was very similar to the Stephen Crichton shoulder on Tuivasa-Sheck," the commentator said. And nearly 45 minutes later, in the post-match press conference, Barnett was still attending to the cut across his eye.

The Warriors could feel dudded the Bulldogs didn't have both Crichton and King in the sin-bin. Instead, neither player spent time on the sideline and the Bulldogs ran away with the victory with tries to Josh Addo-Carr and Jacob Kiraz in the final 10 minutes.

Fans have demanded answers from the NRL with the inconsistency from game to game sending supporters mad. Others felt both calls went in favour for the Bulldogs and swayed the outcome of the game.

Crichton could be facing a bigger ban if the match review committee deemed the tackle to be a shoulder charge. The Bulldogs centre hardly attempted to use his arms in the tackle, but it was deemed enough to escape a longe ban.

The Blues centre can accept the ban and he will be back for the final regular season game against the Cowboys. The Bulldogs are in a battle with the Sharks and the Roosters for a top four finish.

Barnett initially sat silent as the normally cool Warriors coach called out the lack of consistency with NRL officiating. Webster was left fuming that Shaun Johnson's farewell game at Mt Smart was marred with a brutal officiating call going against his team. “I think we’ve got a big part to play in it (the loss) but I’m struggling to understand how a shoulder can go into Roger’s head and the bunker’s got ages to see it in a critical time of the game and then we lose Roger and we’ve got to reshuffle all our team,” Webster said at his press conference. “You’ve got to reshuffle anyway – that’s football – but if it happens because it just happens – but when it happens like that and nothing gets done to them – we’ve got to protect our players.

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“And I just don’t see the consistency one little bit around that. Roger will miss next week now and couldn’t come back (into the game) and their player (Crichton) goes on (playing). That’s it. There are some parts there that we could have controlled better tonight and the boys know that but I am just frustrated how that happens.

“I just think they need to know what they’re doing, personally. I just don’t think they know. I don’t think they understand because the wording around what they say just isn’t clear. It’s hard.” After the drama, former Bulldogs star Michael Ennis echoed Webster's call in Fox Sports' analysis of the game and claimed fans are fed up.

“It’s the inconsistencies. It’s not the on ground officials. It’s the Bunker," he said. "And there’s a real frustration in our game between players, coaches and it’s rife with our fans at the moment with the inconsistency."