THE NRL has backed Gerard Sutton after Knights coach Adam O'Brien queried the veteran referee's performance in Newcastle's 22-20 loss to Sydney Roosters at McDonald Jones Stadium last week.
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O'Brien - who rarely has a bad word to say about match officials - was critical of the ruck speed, saying he felt there were "two different standards".
He was also frustrated that no action was taken when Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga appeared to be held down after making a line break in the dying minutes.
"Obviously the Kalyn one at the end stands out," O'Brien said at Thursday's post-match press conference.
"You'd like to think that's a professional foul, sin-bin, and we kick the goal ...
"I think it was pretty clear, that one."
But at his weekly media briefing on Monday, NRL head of elite competitions Graham Annesley said Sutton's "play on" ruling was justified, and he also provided data that suggested there was nothing untoward about the ruck speed.
Annesley said the Ponga incident was "not a penalty" because it occurred 45 metres out from the Roosters' line.
"Even if it was considered to be an offence, unless play breaks down - which it doesn't - it would be a six-again," Annesley said.
Annesley added that the Roosters were entitled to drag Ponga to ground, because the tackle had not been effected and Newcastle's captain "could have off-loaded the ball ... or if he broke free, he could have continued running".
He added that he was "not convinced" the incident warranted a set re-start and Sutton's decision was "perfectly reasonable" in the circumstances.
With regards to the ruck speed, Annesley said the independent company that analyses NRL games concluded Newcastle's average play-the-ball (3.39 seconds) was actually quicker than the Roosters' (3.55 seconds).
"We're talking fractions of seconds here ... but it kind of addresses that it was heavily weighted in favour of one particular team," Annesley said.
"The margins are very close.
"The game average was 3.47, and the 2024 average was 3.47. So there is nothing remarkable about any of those figures."
In Annesley's opinion: "There was not, in any way, a focus on any one team at the expense of another in the game."
O'Brien, who said after the game "I don't think I've ever heard a stadium so frustrated", declined to comment when told of Annesley's comments on Monday.
