His teammate copped a suspension while others walked away scot free but Canberra Raiders prop Junior Paulo has declared it's up to the players to toe the line with the NRL's tough stance on referee touching.
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Several high-profile players and commentators have called for an overall of the interpretation after St George Illawarra forward Tyson Frizell was given a one-week ban for touching referee Chris James.
The incident lacked any malice or intimidation but the NRL has decreed only accidental contact will avoid punishment.
Players and fans are concerned a star may miss a final or grand final for an innocuous act. Calls for the NRL to adopt the AFL's policy of fining players when they make contact with umpires are growing louder.
Raiders fullback Jack Wighton was suspended for a game for touching touch judge Brett Suttor and missed the round 14 road loss to Brisbane, coincidentally the only loss Canberra has suffered in 10 games.
But Paulo insisted the solution for players who may be confused is simple – avoid touching the referees.
"The rules are the rules, you can't touch them then I don't think we should," Paulo said.
"Jack obviously missed a week, and there's a few players who have. The rules are black and white, if you touch them you'll be spending time on the sidelines."
The Raiders are now third after snapping Cronulla's 16-game unbeaten run at Shark Park on Saturday, and face another blockbuster at home against ladder leader Melbourne on Monday night.
They've received a boost with five-eighth Blake Austin cleared of serious injury after hurting his shoulder scoring a solo try against the Sharks.
Austin was named in Canberra's unchanged team on Tuesday but will have to pass fitness tests later in the week to take his place.
Austin took to Instagram to allay fears he would be sidelined for an extended period of Canberra's top-four quest.
"Fairly positive [scan] result with no major concerns in the shoulder, few minor tears and bone bruising. Thanks for all the well wishes."
If Austin is ruled out of the Melbourne game, back-up Sam Williams is expected to slot back into the line-up.
Canberra's young pack took a major step toward proving Canberra's premiership credentials by out-muscling Cronulla on the road.
Paulo made 99 metres and 25 tackles in 62 minutes and it was a huge confidence boost before a date with a Jesse Bromwich-led Storm.
"I guess we were looking to do our job and we did that, coming up with the two points against a quality pack," Paulo said.
"We're focusing on us week to week and we have to challenge ourselves against Melbourne now.
"Personally I think he [Bromwich] is the best front rower in the game and it's a good challenge for me."
Austin dubbed Wighton "the form fullback over the last four to six weeks by far" after another polished display at Cronulla.
Wighton credited turning around a slow start to the year to good training and choosing quality over quantity in games.
"Some of those [try-saving] tackles felt pretty good, we practice at training every week covering each other," he said.
"I'm just saving myself in other areas, letting other people take carries so I can conserve my energy for different parts of the game."
Canberra Raiders: 1 Jack Wighton, 2 Brenko Lee, 3 Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5 Jordan Rapana, 6 Blake Austin, 7 Aidan Sezer, 8 Junior Paulo, 9 Josh Hodgson, 10 Shannon Boyd, 11 Josh Papalii, 12 Elliott Whitehead, 13 Sia Soliola, 14 Adam Clydsdale, 15 Luke Bateman, 16 Clay Priest, 17 Joseph Tapine.
Melbourne Storm: 1 Cameron Munster, 2 Suliasi Vunivalu, 3 Will Chambers, 4 Cheyse Blair, 5 Marika Koroibete, 6 Blake Green, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Jesse Bromwich, 9 Cameron Smith, 10 Tim Glasby, 11 Kevin Proctor, 12 Tohu Harris, 13 Dale Finucane, 14 Kenny Bromwich, 15 Christian Welch, 16 Felise Kaufusi, 17 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
Monday at Canberra Stadium, 7pm
Tickets available from Ticketek
TV: Live on Fox Sports 1
