The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Eels coach Stuart fumes about refs

Expert
14th April, 2013
48

An angry and emotional Parramatta coach Ricky Stuart slammed the refereeing and warned the game was going backwards after his players were buried under a mountain of second half penalties in their 28-22 loss to the Gold Coast at Skilled Park on Sunday.

The former Australian and NSW Origin coach let rip at referees’ boss Daniel Anderson during the post-match interview after the Titans came back from a 22-8 deficit early in the second half to win on the back of a flukey kick by Titans halfback Albert Kelly who scored the match-winner.

Stuart didn’t spare referees Jason Robinson and Adam Gee who copped a spray from Wests Tigers coach Michael Potter recently.

“I thought we were the better team. I just feel sorry for the players. It’s happened every single week,” bristled Stuart.

“Were just a very, very easy team to penalise.

“I’m sick and tired of (referees’ boss) Daniel Anderson talking to my coaches during the week and saying he understands in regard to a penalty, no penalty, yet it still happens week-in, week-out.

“It’s only because were a very easy team to penalise.

“We don’t have any of the higher profile players where we can get penalties.

Advertisement

“It’s bulls**t. I just feel so sorry for the players.”

Stuart said the penalties against his side were probably warranted – he just couldn’t believe it was such a one way street.

“I’m not blowing up about that. But there’s no way they were that clean. It’s just wrong. It was unfair.

“That out there tonight, that was very, very obvious.”

Stuart was upset that replacement forward Kelepi Tanginoa was denied a try just after half time for a forward pass.

“Over the last two weeks we’ve thrown two passes that were ruled forward but they were just too good for the refs,” he said.

“That wasn’t a forward pass tonight to young Kelepi scoring under the posts. The pass was too good for the ref.”

Advertisement

“We’ve got to sit here and front the media and I try to be as honest as I can … get those referees in here to talk about their bulls**t errors.”

Stuart said his players deserved the win – and a better deal.

“We got beat 50-0 two weeks ago. We handled it. We copped it on the chin,” he said.

“Tonight should have been our game. You can’t have a seven-nil penalty count and win a game of football.

“I’m up in the box and I’m hearing two referees saying `hand on ball, hand on ball’, yet no penalty.

“Jarryd (Hayne), Reni Maitua go to the ref and ask for an explanation.

“They get an explanation in frigging Spanish.”

Advertisement

Titans winger David Mead was taken to hospital for x-rays for a suspected broken jaw which he played on with for the last 10 minutes of the match.

close