BILL Harrigan has given the Origin III referees both barrels, claiming they let the game “fall apart” by getting sucked in to blowing penalties that weren’t there.

In one of the most lopsided penalty counts in Origin history, NSW were awarded 12 to Queensland’s three, with the Maroons clearly upset by the way the game was officiated.

Harrigan refereed 21 Origin games and was famous for using his game sense to let the contest flow rather than intervening every time there was an indiscretion by the letter of the law.

He said the poorest aspect of the officiating in Origin III was Gerard Sutton and Ben Cummins’ blatant lack of feel for the game.

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“The first 10 minutes I thought both the blokes, Benny Cummins and Gerard, were both going well, they kept them apart and we saw a bit of the game going up and down the paddock but then all of a sudden it just all fell apart,” Harrigan told Triple M NRL during the call.

“For instance, the one when it was the last tackle and I think it was Gillett was still standing near the ruck and Robbie Farah threw the ball into him on purpose from the dummy half to milk the penalty.

“The referee clearly should have yelled out ‘pick it up and play on’, because he tried to milk the penalty, but he didn’t he gave it (the penalty).

“That’s when you don’t have a real good feel for the game and I just think they bogged it down and we didn’t see that flowing game we were entitled to see”

Harrigan said the fans were entitled to a better performance, particularly as both referees have plenty of experience in big games and have controlled all three games this series.

“It’s disappointing at this level I would think Gerry Sutton as the lead referee out here would have a better grasp of the game, a better empathy for the game.”

Referee Gerard Sutton signals to the sin bin as Ben Cummins looks on. Source: News Corp Australia

Neither Queensland coach Kevin Walters or captain Cameron Smith wanted to be openly critical of the referees after the game but the skipper said he had “never faced a penalty count that lopsided and especially not in Origin”.

Smith turned the fact into a criticism of NSW, saying he felt the Maroons could go on dominating for years given the Blues needed the last play of the 80 minutes to win a game in which they were so utterly dominant in possession as a consequence of all their penalties.

The writer is on Twitter @glover—benny

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