Was referee Gerard Sutton’s decision to send four players to the sin bin for their role in a fiery fracas on Saturday night fair? One former rugby league star doesn’t think so, believing the Dolphins were harshly treated.

In the first half of the Roosters’ thumping win over the Dolphins, an all-in scuffle broke out between the two teams, resulting in four players given their marching orders.

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Based on the vision though, the cause of the melee could be attributed to one player: Roosters firebrand Spencer Leniu, who wanted to square up to Dolphins player Aublix Tawha.

The two had been involved in a brief scuffle earlier in the game and wanted to resume hostilities after a Roosters try.

Tawha responded and the two went at it but it quickly grew as players from everywhere joined in.

Roosters prop Naufahu Whyte and Dolphins forward Francis Molo also got into it after Whyte dragged Tawha to the ground.

All four players were then binned by Sutton, a move which veteran journalist Phil Rothfield agreed with.

For what it’s worth, no players were suspended for their role, but the four did all cop fines.

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“I thought it was fair enough. I love a stink,” Rothfield said.

“Spencer carried on like a goose there. You can’t do that on a footy field but it takes two to tango.

“I think the fair way of handling it was getting rid of two each.

“I think Gerard Sutton had to get the sting out of that game because it was going to explode. It did explode.

“I loved it. The punters loved it.

“I put a poll up (on social media site X). 87% loved it.”

However, former Roosters star and NRL360 host Braith Anasta and News Corp journalist Brent Read disagreed with Rothfield.

The pair both believed that Leniu should’ve been the only one sent to the sin bin, a view shared by Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf who said he didn’t “understand those sin-binnings at all.”

“Woolfy’s got a point. Spencer was shaping up to those guys, what are they supposed to do,” Read said.

Anasta interjected: “I agree. I looked at the footage a lot today and the Dolphins players were guilty of being involved but I would have been OK if they sent just Spencer off for 10.

“I don’t think it was fair for the Dolphins to lose two players just because they reacted.”