NRL time dramas could cost big: Farah

Wests Tigers captain Robbie Farah says a timekeeping error could cost an NRL side two premiership points after the joint venture struggled with clock trouble for the second successive week.

With the Tigers leading 24-0 moments before half-time at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday the timeclock appeared to count down to zero before Manly managed a final play of the ball before the break.

But the referees allowed play to continue before Jamie Lyon touched down off a Kieran Foran kick.

Farah remonstrated with referee Ashley Klein after he awarded the try, arguing that play shouldn’t have been allowed to continue.

Klein told Farah he couldn’t hear the hooter and allowed play to continue.

“That’s an issue for the club to get better sirens,” Klein said.

The teams went to the break with the Tigers leading 26-6 and although the issue ultimately didn’t cost the home side victory, Farah later told the post-game media conference: “Does it matter if I heard it? The ref didn’t.

“The same thing happened to us last week. If you go back and look at the Warriors’ try on half time where I made myself look like a fool, I think you’ll see that was after the clock had gone to zero as well.

“He said he didn’t hear it, but that’s not good enough. They can’t just keep coming up with those errors week in, week out. They’ve got to be better.

“We were lucky today that it didn’t cost us but it’s going to cost a team a big game.

“It’s just not good enough, they just have got to be better. Not hearing it is not a good enough excuse.”

On the Nine Network’s coverage Ray Warren said officials told the broadcaster the automatic hooter didn’t sound.

Wests Tigers chief executive Grant Meyer said timekeeping was an issue for the NRL.

But the NRL said after the game that faulty hardware was to blame and that the automatic hooter did sound but wasn’t loud enough and had to be sounded again.

The NRL said that was an issue for the Tigers and they would continue to investigate the matter with them.

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