Under-fire referee gets Warriors game
Under siege referee Matt Cecchin could look to make amends and take an extra hard line approach when he takes charge of the Warriors’ game against the Sharks in Auckland tomorrow night.
The NRL referee has been slammed for not sending off Sia Soliola for his sickening hit on Billy Slater from the Storm last weekend.
The Raiders second-rower copped a five-week ban for the tackle that wiped out two weeks of Slater’s memory.
NRL bunker video referee official Bernard Sutton and the game’s assistant referee Chris Butler have both been demoted for not sending off Soliola, but Checchin escaped punishment and will take charge of tomorrow’s game at Mt Smart Stadium.
With Checchin under the spotlight, there’s every chance he’ll look to make amends and restore his reputation tomorrow, which could result in him take a heavy handed approach to ill discipline.
However, it was an issue that Warriors coach Stephen Kearney didn’t want to get into yesterday.
‘‘He’s one of the best referees in our game,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘I’m sure Matt will do what Matt does and that’s his job.’’
While the hit on Slater was one of the worst there’s been in the NRL this season, it’s not unique for teams to go after playmakers.
Johnathan Thurston has regularly played with a target on his back, Shaun Johnson has also been the victim of some over physical tackles and there have been regular calls for greater protection from officials for these stars.
‘‘The ball players are an important part of our game, but I haven’t seen a tackle like that in a long time,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘But it is something that will be addressed.’’
The Warriors go into their round-20 fixture on a three-game losing streak and they’ve won just one of their last six games.
This poor patch has left them with little chance of finishing in the top eight this year, but there were signs against the Cowboys that they’re heading in the right direction.
‘‘What we’ve worked on all year is about improving from week to week,’’ Kearney said. ‘‘Obviously, we weren’t happy with the way we performed the week before [losing 34-22 to the Panthers], so we had a real focus on certain areas we wanted to improve on.
‘‘I thought the guys went out and did that and that’s been our process all year, to make sure that from week to
"He's one of the best referees in our game. I'm sure Matt will do what Matt does and that's his job." Stephen Kearney on Matt Cecchin
week, we continue to improve.’’
A key for the Warriors to pick up a win against the reigning NRL premiers would be to play consistently well over the whole game.
‘‘I thought we did finish well the other night [against the Cowboys]. There was just a period a bit before halftime where we lost our way with a couple of back to back errors,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘With a minute to go, we put the ball up into the corner and had it had bounced into our hands more effectively, then you never know,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘It’s about making sure we have an 80-minute performance and not having those periods where we drop off. It’s a wonderful challenge this weekend against the defending premiers and what they bring every time they play.’’