Bunker official Henry Perenara will remain stood down in the aftermath of the NRL’s botched handling of Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell’s controversial high shot on Joseph Manu.
The NRL tonight released its list of match official appointments for Round 25, with Perenara’s name nowhere to be seen.
Officials Grant Atkins, Matt Noyen, Ashley Klein, Alan Shortall and Chris Butler have all been named to take on the ‘Bunker Review Official’ duties over the course of the round.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson lashed Perenara and his fellow NRL officials for not taking action at the time of the high shot on Manu, which left the star outside back in need of facial reconstruction surgery.
The NRL on the weekend dumped Perenara for Saturday night’s game between the Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels in response to the Mitchell-Manu drama the night before.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley confirmed yesterday that the bunker didn’t handle the incident correctly.
“From our perspective, we acknowledged virtually immediately that the bunker didn’t advise the on-field referee to take harsh enough action in that instance,” he said.
“We believe that the bunker should have asked or advised for the referee to dismiss the player from the field.
“That wasn’t forming any basis or view about guilt or innocence. That is a separate process that takes place.
“Just based on the evidence that the match officials had upon which to base a decision, we felt that it should have been a harsher call of a dismissal rather than 10 minutes in the sin bin.”
Mitchell has since accepted a six-week suspension for the high shot on Manu.