The Mole: Bill Harrigan claims Cameron Smith should have been sin-binned in grand final
The greatest referee in rugby league history, Bill Harrigan, has declared he would have sin binned Storm legend Cameron Smith for his antics in Sunday's grand final win.
As the Panthers mounted their late comeback, Smith was heard on ground microphones saying to referee Gerard Sutton: "The last three or four penalties they have got, (they're) little, very picky stuff and we have got nothing, mate.
"I get it, everyone wants an exciting finish. But we are just the same as them. Stop trying to pick little things out of our game to make an exciting finish."
Cameron Smith reacts to the full-time whistle in the grand final. Getty
Sutton ignored the comments but the NRL aren't happy, with boss Andrew Abdo set to make a call to Smith to express his disapproval.
But Harrigan, who refereed a record 10 grand finals and 21 State of Origins, would have gone one step further.
"He wasn't accusing the ref of cheating, but he came close," Harrigan, who famously sent off Gorden Tallis in an Origin match for calling him a cheat, told Wide World of Sports.
"It was close to the mark and I would have said to him: 'I don't like what you are implying - go and have 10 minutes in the bin.'
"I have nothing against the bloke and admire the way he does whatever it takes to win - it's terrific.
"But he clearly has the referees bluffed and they don't stand up to him.
"In my day, I didn't care who the player was - I sent the likes of Gorden Tallis, John Hopoate, Geoff Toovey and Peter Jackson off for calling me a cheat.
"There are some things that just aren't on."
The Storm had two players binned by Sutton and had Smith also gone off the field, the Panthers' late fightback may have resulted in something more than just an exciting finish.
