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Referees boss Jared Maxwell has rejected claims he has been stripped of his power by the NRL.
The fallout from Canberra’s controversial loss to Brisbane continued on Monday, with the NRL defending several crucial calls in the 29-18 loss.
The league is also weighing up whether to add to the $160,000 in fines Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has racked up throughout his career, after post-match comments raised eyebrows at head office.
Unhappy with several decisions in the loss including a late escort penalty, a furious Stuart believes there is a reason why Canberra has seemingly been on the wrong end of multiple calls this season.
“(Referees boss) Jared Maxwell is a very good operator. He is a very good boss of the referees,” Stuart said on Saturday night. “I reckon power has been taken off Jared in a number of areas because they’re not improving.
“It happens every game on these escorts, (but) I just don’t understand why it’s been us … well I do understand, but that’s probably the part I can’t talk about.”
Asked about those comments on Monday, Maxwell flatly rejected the suggestion.
“No (my power has not changed),” Maxwell said. “I’m not really sure the angle that was made in relation to the point made by Ricky after the game the other night.”
The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley also insisted Maxwell had not had his authority diminished.
“The one thing that we don’t as an administration is say this week, we’re going to crack down on escorts,” Annesley said.
“(We don’t say) ‘this week, we’re going to crack down on anything’. We don’t give specific directions unless it’s around something like foul play.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
“Jared is the referees head coach. He works with them seven days a week, goes to games, goes to all their training sessions.
“Give them advice, coaching, feedback and instruction. No one in the NRL administration does any of that. I don’t do it. Andrew Abdo doesn’t do it. No one does.”
The most controversial call in the match came with the score at 24-18, when Hudson Young was penalised for an escort on Selwyn Cobbo as Canberra regathered a short Brisbane line dropout.
After Canberra reviewed the call and lost their captain’s challenge, Brisbane went upfield and Reece Walsh scored a match-winning field goal to deny Canberra a victory that would have locked in their finals spot.
Maxwell defended the call on Monday, stating that while Young had not made significant contact with Cobbo, he had erred by looking at the chasing Brisbane players before rushing into the line of the Brisbane flyer.
“If there’s a position taken up early enough by Hudson Young the responsibility is on Selwyn to go around him,” Maxwell said.
“That wasn’t upheld by Young. There isn’t a great deal of contact on Cobbo. However, that’s not the assessment.”
© AAP
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