NRL referee Grant Atkins had a slight slip of the tongue during the Round 9 clash between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Brisbane Broncos which could have landed him in hot water.
Thankfully, for his own good, the veteran official was able to stop himself in his tracks before he could get the last words out.
Atkins, widely regarded as one of the best in the business, called a penalty against Herbie Farnworth when the Broncos centre dived on the ball after Damien Cook was late getting to dummy half.
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Farnworth, who clearly thought he'd just come up with a brilliant play on his own tryline, appealed to the referee but his cried fell on deaf ears.
“You can’t do that mate,” Atkins told Farnworth after the incident.
“The ball is in the game so you can’t just dive in behind the ruck. He has got to try and pick it up and run.
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“He dived straight on the ball. I know it is a stu... It is just the laws of the game. You can’t dive on a loose ball in there.”
Everyone watching from home could hazard a wild guess at what Atkins was about to say – Fox League commentator Warren Smith being one of them.
“You heard Grant Atkins about to say, I know it is a stupid rule,” Smith said.
“And he caught himself and said, you can’t just dive on the ball there, even though it is sitting there.
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“But he did stop himself from saying, I know it is a stupid rule.”
Fellow commentator and rugby league great Greg Alexander wasn't buying it though.
“I don’t think he caught himself,” he added.
“I think we heard that.”
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We've seen plenty of occasions where players and even coaches have been slapped with some sort of fine for daring to question the legitimacy of the rules.
So Atkins' actions, had he not of stopped himself at the last minute, could very well have landed him in a spot of bother with NRL officials.
Let's be honest though, he's not wrong with what he said... almost said.
Featured Image Credit: Fox LeagueTopics: Australia, NRL, Rugby League