Controversy
Steve Clark was accused by St. George Illawarra Dragons coach Nathan Brown of bias against the St. George Illawarra Dragons team in 2006, based on a perceived tendency to award dubious penalties against St. George Illawarra Dragons. Brown was subsequently fined $15000 for making these comments. An example of such a controversial penalty awarded against St. George Illawarra Dragons was in the Round 9 2008 game between Parramatta Eels and St. George Illawarra Dragons, where a 32nd minute try to Jason Nightingale was disallowed by Clark (acting as video referee) due to Matt Cooper stipping the ball. Even the referee Sean Hampstead remarked "That was a tough decision Clarky".
The Bulldogs demanded the sacking of Clark when on 15 May 2009 he disallowed a try to Jamal Idris, claiming that the Dragons Jamie Soward was impeded by Greg Eastwood of the Bulldogs. Clark was not sacked over this incident. This decision ultimately cost Bulldogs the minor premiership. At the end of the season both the Bulldogs and the Dragon were on 38 competition points apiece, with the Dragons' higher points difference allowing them to claim the title. Had the try been awarded, Bulldogs would have won the game and been on 40 competition points, with the Dragons on 36. (Note: This is after factoring an earlier unrelated ruling that saw the Bulldogs stripped of 2 points for a breach of interchange.)
Clark controversially made incorrect calls when he was one of the video referees in the 2012 semi-final played between Manly Sea Eagles and North Queensland Cowboys. The incorrect calls altered the result of the game, meaning the Cowboys were eliminated from the 2012 competition. Clark was later condemned for the decisions by his bosses and demoted from the coming weeks' games. "Full Time For Video Referees"
Read more about this topic: Steve Clark (referee)
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