Phil Gould walks off the set of Channel Nine show TWICE over huge issue that has NRL coaches up in arms

Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould twice made his feelings well known about NRL referees – without saying a word – on Monday night.

Gould, 67, was asked his thoughts by 100% Footy host James Bracey about a pre-season gag order which forbids NRL coaches from mentioning referees in their post game press-conferences.

Well aware a large fine would follow if he launched into a tirade on free-to-air television, Gould dramatically walked off the Channel 9 set on two separate occasions.

In May last year, Gould was fined $20,000 by the NRL following a ‘destructive attack’ on what he deemed ‘stupid’ rules in the code.

Gould appealed the sanction – and the NRL eventually agreed to suspend the $20,000 fine for 12 months.

It comes as the NRL continues to examine Ricky Stuart’s post-match comments following Canberra’s loss against Manly on March 23.

Stuart – who has been fined $160,000 by the NRL dating back to 2002 –  indicated several frustrations following the Raiders’ 40-12 defeat at Brookvale, claiming he no longer understood NRL interpretations around obstructions.

The veteran coach also pointed to a lopsided set-restart and penalty count, despite what he claimed to be statistically similar play-the-ball speeds between both sides.

Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould made his feelings well known about NRL referees – without saying a word – on Monday night on Channel 9’s 100% Footy

Phil Gould (pictured left) walked off the set twice to avoid a potential tirade where he would have criticised NRL referees

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo sent an edict to clubs before the season, warning head office would be stricter on public comments relating to match officials.

The email claimed comments from coaches amplified fan and media attention around decisions, which were often ‘differences of opinion’.

Stuart was deliberately selective with his words in a bid to avoid falling foul of the NRL on Sunday night.

He made a point not to explicitly refer to referee Grant Atkins during his press conference when asked if he was unhappy with the whistle-blower’s performance.

‘I’m not allowed to talk about the ref, but I hope (NRL CEO) Andrew Abdo has an answer for us all,’ Stuart said.

Stuart was one of three coaches – alongside Ivan Cleary and Wayne Bennett –  who formed a committee with Abdo, head of football Graham Annesley and referee Ashley Kelin about rules over the summer.

Part of that discussion centred around interpretations for obstructions, with the NRL putting more onus on defenders making the correct decisions.

Stuart said that had seemingly ‘gone out the window’, and he ‘wasted two days’ on the committee, after Canberra had a try pulled back to centre Seb Kris with the score 0-0.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart chose his words carefully in a bid to avoid falling foul of the NRL on Sunday night

Ashley Klein is regarded in many circles as the leading referee in the NRL – he officiated the 2024 Grand Final between Penrith and Melbourne

The Raiders coach also claimed he saw inconsistencies in the way ruck infringements were awarded across the league.

‘The six-again calls that go against my poor buggers, I see those tackles every week by certain teams and nothing is done,’ Stuart said.

Meanwhile, it is understood the NRL were fine with referee Wyatt Raymond’s decision to penalise Canterbury’s Josh Curran for acting ‘against the true spirit of the game’ by impersonating a match official.

Curran was penalised in the Bulldogs’ 16-8 win over Parramatta, after he called Matt Doorey as offside, prompting the Eel to pull out of a tackle.