By Ben Talintyre,Tyson Otto
Copyright news
Bulldogs cult hero James Graham says he stands by his decision to call NRL referee Ashley Klein a “bottleless git”.
The Englishman on Sunday made the extraordinary comment during the Panthers’ semi-final win over Canterbury at Accor Stadium.
Just over a minute into the game, Viliame Kikau charged down a kick from Nathan Cleary and it looked almost certain the second-rower would race away to score.
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However, Kikau was then dragged down by Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards as he attempted to scoop up the bouncing ball.
Edwards was penalised by Klein for pushing Kikau without the ball, but the ref deemed it wasn’t a professional foul — and therefore not worthy of a sin-bin.
Klein’s call sparked fierce debate with plenty of Canterbury fans arguing at the time Kikau had been denied a try-scoring opportunity — an act that would generally be viewed as a professional foul.
Graham erupted at the ref, labelling Klein a “bottleless git” during his commentary of the game on Triple M.
Spurred on by Gorden Tallis, Graham was irate, as seen in a video uploaded by Triple M.
However, that clip cut out the original audio of Graham’s rant at Klein.
News.com.au has obtained the audio of the incident as it was heard live by listeners. It can be heard in the video player above.
The radio outburst prompted calls from some fans on social media for Graham to be held back from commentating on Bulldogs games.
However, the 40-year-old has told listeners of his Bye Round With James Graham podcast, he stands by his criticism of Klein, claiming his commentary was partly lost in translation.
“I stand by what I said,” he said.
“If Liam Martin did the same thing and charged the kick down and Connor Tracey pulls him back, I would say Ashley Klein bottled it.”
He said he used the phrase “bottleless git” because he was trying to tell listeners Klein had been “too nervous” to make a big call so early in the game.
“It’s an English phrase. It means you sit on the fence,” he said.
“You’re scared to make a call. You know a big call needs to be made.”
He said his commentary also made reference to an iconic piece of commentary from the Super League when Castleford famously defeated Wigan in the 1994 Regal Trophy final.
The game is remembered for TV commentator Michael Morgan losing the plot and instantly calling for Wigan prop Kelvin Skerrett to be sent off after a swinging arm tackle that collected Andy Hay in the head.
During a famous two-minute TV rant Morgan famously calls Skerrett a “dirty git” and called referee David Campbell a “bottless git” and a “d***head”.
Graham, meanwhile, said he believes Panthers coach Ivan Cleary would have accepted the decision if Edwards had been sent to the bin.
The NRL has a strict Code of Conduct in place that prevents players, coaches and media partners from being abusive or undermining match officials.
In 2025, the NRL warned that any negative or critical comment about refereeing may attract consequences, including fines, suspension, or loss of privileges.
It is understood that Triple M, and therefore Graham as a commentator, fall under this Code of Conduct, given that Triple M is an official media partner of the NRL.
“The NRL has a National Code of Conduct that binds players, coaches, officials, spectators, etc. to behave in a manner that preserves the welfare, image, and reputation of the game. Criticism of match officials that is abusive or undermines the integrity of the match official is covered under this,” The NRL’s Code of Conduct reads.
The Englishman is a diehard Dogs supporter after playing 135 games for the club between 2012 and 2017, where he captained the side and reached two Grand Finals.
He also showed his deep love for the club last year when he purchased $10,000 worth of tickets for fans before a finals match.
Graham is a rugby league great who retired in 2020 after playing 432 first-grade games for the Bulldogs and Dragons in the NRL and St Helens in the Super League, where he won a grand final in his final professional match.
