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The Sydney Roosters snapped a worrying three-game losing skid with a scrappy 19-12 win over NRL cellar-dwellers Cronulla on Saturday night but still claimed they were being unfairly targeted by over-zealous referees.
Frustrated coach Brad Fittler was driven to the edge of profanity after a no-try ruling against fullback Jordan Tansey due to obstruction by veteran backrower Craig Fitzgibbon.
It turned what would have been a comfortable win into an absolute nail-bitter for the visitors, Cronulla denied what would have been a score-tying try to Bronx Goodwin four minutes from time due to an obvious Anthony Tupou obstruction.
Ironically it was Tupou’s success with decoy plays during his time with the Roosters that Fittler claims is behind the intense scrutiny of his side’s use of decoy runners.
“I feel like swearing,” Fittler said.
“I thought it was a really, really bad decision … I just can’t believe that.
“Our team is the only team in the comp that they look at them ultra closely.
“It happened with Tupes last year and it just started a trend that every time we had a block play they would just scrutinise us to death … it’s just crap.
“The boys are under pressure and we most probably needed the win and for that to happen to just get a try like that (denied), it goes to 24-6, game over.”
As it was, the Roosters clung to an 18-6 lead that turned into a nervous six-point margin when Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen ran through three defenders to score eight minutes from time.
The Roosters entered the game without scoring a point in their last three halves of football.
But winger Shaun Kenny-Dowall ended the 143-minute drought, scoring a first-half double.
The former Kiwi international was denied a third just after the half hour when a controversial ‘Ref’s call’ ruling went against Kenny-Dowall who was adjudged not to have grounded the ball.
The manner of the Sharks’ opening try summed up Cronulla’s struggles – a Brett Seymour grubber hitting the padding on the posts before rebounding right into the arms of Reece Williams who fell over to score under the posts.
A try to Sam Perrett from an unlikely grubber by burly prop Nate Myles again extended the Roosters advantage before Gallen’s late try set up a grandstand finish Sharks coach Ricky Stuart acknowledged his men scarcely deserved.
“With the amount of cheap possession and turnovers that we gave the Roosters tonight we probably didn’t deserve to be that close, but we’ve lost many games this year that I thought we should have won so I would have taken it,” Stuart said.
“I feel for them because I know how much effort is there and I know how much it’s hurting all of us.”
Sharks five-eighth Trent Barrett was feeling a different type of hurt after being knocked out by former Illawarra Steelers teammate Fitzgibbon.
A late inclusion after overcoming a back injury, Barrett was hit just before the halftime break but played out the remainder of the half after regaining consciousness.
He missed the second stanza.
“He walked into the changerooms and didn’t know where he was,” Stuart said.
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