NRL head of football Graham Annesley has launched a stunning takedown of clubs and coaches criticising the game's match officials.
In recent weeks, Roosters coach Trent Robinson and Dragons coach Anthony Griffin have both taken aim at calls made by the officials during matches.
Robinson was left furious surrounding a lack of "consistency" during the Tricolours' loss to the Panthers earlier this month, while Griffin last week questioned how a shoulder charge by Nathan Cleary on Jack Bird went uncalled.
While Annesley didn't single out any coach or comments made in particular, he said the NRL has seen enough criticism toward match officials and the blame of losses being put on them.
"Some of the levels of criticism that's been coming about match officials after the game, I think is over the top," he told reporters today.
"I think it's unjustified. Although there are decisions that clubs don't like and that they may think should have gone the other way, they're not necessarily wrong decisions.
"There are decisions that the referee or the bunker has to apply judgement and they have to make a decision. If you ask the fans and supporters of the opposition team, they would be saying it was 100 per cent right.
"We are getting these marginal decisions, and there's a lot of them in our game, and yet after games, we're hearing criticism about one or two officiating decisions that might be arguable. And when they get them wrong, we will say they're wrong.
"It's overwhelming the post-match commentary about what's happening in games.
"We're not hearing anything about the 20 handling errors on average per game, we're not hearing anything about the 60 missed tackles on average per game. We're not hearing anything about the 30 ineffective tackles on average per game, or the 10 line-breaks on average per game that teams concede.
"Each one of those incidents, I would say to you has a far greater impact on the outcome of the game than one or two refereeing decisions that might be arguable."
He also went on the explain that some of the NRL's frustrations aren't just with the clubs.
"I'm not just talking about coaches," he added.
"Sure there has been some comments from coaches, I'm also talking about some of the general media comment and the general debate that happens around refereeing decisions."
Annesley also defended the NRL's decision not to penalise or sanction Cleary for the controversial tackle on Bird.
"He turns away from him and hits him with his side," Annesley said of Cleary's incident.
"Yes there is contact with the shoulder, but we have to remember what a shoulder charge is. That is someone charging at an opposition player with their shoulder.
"This is a player who at the last moment decides he's not going o go through with the tackle in the traditional sense and turn his body sideways. This is not something that is unusual over the course of the game."
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/graham-annesley-defends-competitions-hits-out-clubs-dragons-anthony-griffin-nathan-cleary/80663470-08c0-4d49-9ac0-4bcfe67885a5
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