A sparko De Las Heras lying motionless at the Suncorp

It’s a hard job being the man in the middle. At times it can be the loneliest job in the world with players and coaches looking to make you the scapegoat at every opportunity, but at least it never turns violent right?

Well in the case of NRL referee Tony De Las Heras it did. Whether or not Tonie Carroll maliciously intended to hurt De Las Heras is up for some debate, but one thing we can be sure of is that the incident left the ref requiring medical treatment on the pitch after being knocked out cold.

Jamie Simpson has since described the Suncorp SXtadium incident as a ‘freak accident’ but knowing what some of the NRL boys get up to in their spare time you wouldn’t put past Carroll!

Make up your own minds below.