Canberra coach livid after loss to Storm
Ricky Stuart has launched a blistering attack on NRL referees after Canberra’s faint finals hopes suffered a massive blow with a 20-14 loss to Melbourne.
The Raiders coach was fired up after his side fell short against the Storm at GIO Stadium, saying his anger was backed up by the 47 text messages he received about the refereeing after the match.
Stuart called for referees and their boss Tony Archer to face the media over their decisions. But he won’t be contacting the NRL over his concerns, labelling that a “waste of time”.
“I’m accountable. I’ve got to sit here every friggin’ week and answer questions. Let’s make everyone in the game accountable,” Stuart said.
“We keep on aiming up, coming in here, having to answer your questions after our week, season of hard work.
“Why don’t the NRL get the referees to come in and answer some of these questions too?
“When do they ever have to face any accountability?”
Stuart’s spray will risk an 11th fine during his 14-year coaching career, with a total of A$120,000 in penalties flowing back into NRL coffers in that time.
His most recent fine was over comments made in May 2015 which saw him slapped with a A$20,000 sanction later reduced to A$15,000 on appeal.
“The best thing the NRL has done is just keep fining me and fining me and whacking the hell out of me so I don’t say anything,” he said.
“Why doesn’t the NRL come out and make public some of the communications between the referees, the bunker and the linesmen?
“Then we will start fixing some things in regards to what’s going on in interpretations, inconsistencies.”
The most controversial decision of the match benefited Canberra.
Sia Soliola avoided being sent off for knocking out Billy Slater with a high shot, leaving him concussed and feeling ill, with Archer later admitting referee Matt Cecchin got it wrong. Slater is in serious doubt for the clash with Manly next weekend.
Soliola’s hit was “as cheap as they come” league legend Andrew Johns said yesterday. “The ball was passed. It’s a cheap shot, he should have been sent off.”
Johns claimed there was a defensive trend of late tackles in the game that was contributing to a scarcity of high-standard playmakers.
“Every weekend, I see halfbacks go to the line and pass, and then a second or two later, the guy 22kg bigger than him just smashes him from behind in the ribs or kidneys.
“How can we produce smaller guys who are creative when they pass the ball and big blokes come from behind and smash them in the kidneys and ribs?”
Stuart said the standard of officiating made him hurt for the Raiders and their fans.
“Those poor bastards in there — my players — they’re accountable every week,” Stuart said. “They busted themselves [ on Saturday night], that’s one of the best games they’ve played all year.”
Canberra will need to go on a miraculous run in the last six rounds as they remain in 10th, two games outside of the top eight.
Meanwhile, Melbourne have dodged a bullet with skipper Cameron Smith’s chest injury suffered against Canberra on Saturday not as severe as first thought. The veteran hooker is even a small chance of playing in the Storm’s next match against Manly on Sunday.
“We were pleased to find out Cameron has only suffered a minor tear to his pec,” Storm football director Frank Ponissi said yesterday.
In last night’s games, the Dragons hammered Manly 52-22, while the Parramatta Eels edged the Wests Tigers 17-16, winning with a 77thminute field goal from Corey Norman.