Denan Kemp, the former Broncos NRL player and SEN commentator was equally scathing of the Eels as the officiating in the Eels’ Round 1 loss to the Melbourne Storm in his podcast.
“The jersey deserved better than that second half," he admitted.
“(But) The refereeing, especially in the first half, was unacceptable. Unacceptably bad refereeing.”
Kemp pointed to a period early in the match where the set restarts were heavily skewed.
“There was one period where the set restarts were 4–0 in favour of the Storm, and yet their average play-the-ball speed was faster than the Eels.”
“I just don’t get it. To have a faster average play-the-ball speed and also four consecutive six-again penalties.”
“How does that work?”
On the Captain’s Challenge adjudicated by the bunker, Kemp was even more direct.
“I couldn't believe what I was watching. That is disgraceful video refereeing.”
“You can see his arms literally going to pass the ball backwards.”
“What do you mean it hit the attacker’s arm off the defender’s arm?”
He also criticised the momentum shift created by repeated restarts.
“I don’t like that one of their first tries was because they went six-again, six-again, try.”
Kemp then referenced the controversial incident involving Iongi.
“My player has to go off for an HIA after a head-high and crusher and it’s not even a penalty.”
“It was really, really bad refereeing.”
Even some Storm fans at the ground were reportedly astonished at several decisions.
So let’s take a closer look.
High-Level Momentum and Fatigue Management
| 00:30 | PEN for Storm– Dangerous Tk | Hopgood Sin Bin |
| 01:27 | 6A for Storm | |
| 01:42 | Error Storm | |
| 01:53 | PEN for Eels – Slow Peel | |
| 03:17 | Error Storm | |
| 04:32 | 🏉 Try Eels – Russell | 0–4 |
| 06:53 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 09:37 | 6A for Storm | |
| 09:47 | 6A for Storm | |
| 10:27 | 🏉 Try Storm – Warbrick | 6–4 |
| 13:31 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 14:45 | 🏉 Try Storm – Grant | 12–4 |
| 16:49 | 6A for Storm | |
| 17:23 | Error Storm | |
| 18:57 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 19:53 | Error Storm | |
| 22:36 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 22:36 | CAPTAIN'S CHALLENGE FAILED | |
| 24:16 | PEN for Eels – 2nd Effort | |
| 25:00 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 25:17 | PEN for Storm | |
| 26:19 | 🏉 Try Storm – Howarth | 18–4 |
| 29:21 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 31:07 |
IONGI HIGH-CRUSHER HIA (no penalty) |
|
| 31:23 | 6A for Eels | |
| 35:01 | 6A for Eels | |
| 35:27 | PEN for Eels – Late Tackle | |
| 36:14 | 6A for Eels | |
| 36:33 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 37:27 | Error Storm | |
| 38:16 | ❌ Error Eels | |
|
Half-Time |
18–4 | |
| 40:58 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 41:20 | 6A for Storm | |
| 42:36 | 6A for Eels | |
| 43:04 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 45:14 | 6A for Storm | |
| 46:09 | 🏉 Try Storm – Chan | 24–4 |
| 48:39 | Error Storm | |
| 50:09 | 6A for Storm | |
| 50:26 | 6A for Storm | |
| 50:50 | 🏉 Try Storm – Grant | 30–4 |
| 53:24 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 53:26 | PEN for Storm – Offside | |
| 54:45 | Error Storm | |
| 55:00 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 55:43 | 🏉 Try Storm – Leo | 36–4 |
| 58:55 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 62:26 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 63:07 | 🏉 Try Storm – Faalogo | 42–4 |
| 65:08 | PEN for Storm– Professional Foul | Simmo Sin Bin |
| 66:37 | 🏉 Try Storm – Lisati | 46–4 |
| 69:08 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 70:03 | ❌ Error Eels | |
| 71:11 | 6A for Storm | |
| 71:51 | Error Storm | |
| 71:58 | PEN for Eels – 2nd Effort | |
| 74:47 | 6A for Eels | |
| 76:53 | 🏉 Try Storm – Faalogo | 52–4 |
| 79:07 | PEN for Eels | |
| 80:00 | ❌ Error Eels |
17-8 errors and 63% completions sealed the Eels' fate. So did 404 vs 278 tackles.
But, let's look at the time zones where restarts were awarded.
Graph: Time Zones for Set Restarts; Fatigue makes cowards of us all.
The Eels were only given set restarts in two small chunks.
Late in the first half, either side of the break — after the Storm had 18-4 on the board. And then late in the second half in the final minutes — after the Storm had racked up 46-4.
That's high-level fatigue and momentum management in effect.
And it is irrespective of intent, or if it is unrelated pay-back against the Eels' confronting and subpoenas of HQ in the Lomax-Storm saga the Eels won.
17 vs 3 sets
In between the 46th and 72nd minute the real damage was done.
The Storm had 17/19 sets compared with the Eels 3/6.
During that time the score went from 18-4 to 46-4 in the 66th minute.
During that time, the Eels made 150 vs 40 tackles, held the ball 3.5 vs 11 minutes.
How the Eels only managed to only concede one try in the last 14 minutes with 12 men for ten minutes of those with all that preceded is a miracle.
In the second half the Storm has 24 tackles vs 1 tackle in the opposition red zone.
Kemp's noted: "The silver lining here is Ryles can use that (game) for the rest of the season of like, boys, this is how far away we are from the top tier."
2026 could also be the Year of the Ref.
Summary of Questionable Refereering:
- Hopgood’s head clash resulted in a penalty and a sin bin and a two-week suspension, which seems excessive when compared to Crichton’s direct-head contact with Tu’s head which only resulted in a penalty.
- The HIA incident involving Iongi, which appeared high and a crusher, didn’t even result in a penalty.
- The Captain’s Challenge decision seemed dubious as Kemp noted, Ryley Smith's hands were clearly moving backwards at all times.
- From the 45th to the 72nd minute, the Storm completed 17/19 sets, compared with the Eels’ 3/6.
- During that same stretch, the score blew out from 18–4 at half-time to 46–4 by the 66th minute.
- The set restarts were 9-5 to the Storm.
- Kemp also makes the point that the Storm’s play-the-ball speed was faster than the Eels’, which makes the lopsided six-again restarts 4-0 at the beginning seem odd.
-
The only time the Eels received any set restarts was either side of half-time (31st–42nd minute) and very late in the game (from the 74th minute) , after the Storm had already those established decisive leads mentioned above.
Replies
The Refs have been abysmal for years. There is a sub-consious or maybe conscious bias against the lesser clubs, but the incompetence is across the board for all teams. I have gotten sick of complaining about it as it is now part of the game, unfortunately if you aren't one of the favoured clubs you have to deal with it more often. I have a mate who's a Dragons supporter who almost every week tells me about individual decisions they obviously got wrong and I just say yeah, it happens every game. You basically have to be better than your opposing side and better than the refs decisions that go against you. That amounts to a high degree of difficulty if you aren't a top club or dominating on the day.
When they brought in the bunker I said, well we need a bunker for the bunker as the incompetence or corruption is not at all limitted to the on field refs. As was shown the other night and on countless other times.
The six again rule at first I thought was a good idea but now it has become a blight on the game. Referees are allowed to control the game without external judgement and get involved way more than they used to. It is like watching Rugby where there are repeated infringments and you have no idea what they are for.
Instead of watching a couple of games on the weekend I now can only sit through the Parra game.
Watching the nightmare by the yarra thursday nite,I couldn't miss the continual sets given to Storm and honestly if the count for Melb of agains had totalled more than a dozen I wouldn't have been surprised! I was shocked it was a "mere" 9.
Most of the group here see we're competing against a stacked deck....and it has to change. If this continues any longer the club should enquire of the other clubs not inside the favoured cartel if they wanted to, in group, finally make a official complaint to the NRL. The favouritism displayed can't continue.
Of interest to some was our cup side, prior to the main game thursday, defeating Storm by 14 pts. We won the Penalty count 8-5 but the opposition got 5 agains to our nought. I'd call that a pattern.
So it seems that all the tries the Storm scored were off the back of either 1) Repeat Sets ( 6 again) 2) Penalties to the Storm 3) Errors by the Eels 4) Eels down to 12 men. Really obvious this match was set up to an Eels loss..
It is Vlandy and Abdo's power flex to show the Eels that no one is above them and how dare the Eels subpoena them.
Yep your probably correct
it's a sick joke
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