Raiders coach Ricky Stuart was frustrated with a number of calls and the ruck interpretation in his team’s 26-22 victory over the Storm in Round 7.
The Raiders led 12-0, but could have been further ahead if Hudson Young wasn’t denied a try for an accidental off-side that seemed a tough call.
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“What stands out to me is after the back end of the season last year, it’s very hard to cheer after a try,” Stuart said in his post match press conference.
“I find it myself, I used to go off like a bloody idiot, scoring tries and whatnot. Unless it’s an intercept or whatnot, it’s hard to cheer because you think, oh well okay, was he onside? Did he hit him high? I mean, I suppose that’s what the bunker’s there for.”
Stuart was pressed what goes through his head when he saw the Hudson Young no try call.
“Negativity,” Stuart said.
Stuart was also frustrated the ruck interpretation by referee Peter Gough was completely different to what has been the case the rest of the season in his view.
“The whole game was like last year,” Stuart said.
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“Everything at the ruck changed tonight. If you go back and have a look at all the work on the ground, it was different and we probably got a better spectacle.
“But it would be nice to know if we’re going back to or what we’re going to. What we need to see on the ground after the tackle.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining, but it’s hard. It’s hard as a coach when you work into one interpretation and another one happens tonight.
“And I’m not blaming Peter, the referee. I don’t blame the referees at all, because they’re being coached in a certain way.
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“But it was certainly a completely different game tonight on the ground, where so much of the football is played after tackles. But it was completely different.
“I’d prefer it that way, but I’d prefer it to be the same for both.
“I felt there was a lot more time in the tackle on the ground tonight in a number of certain tackles. But it’d be just nice to know if that’s going to be the way we’re going forward.”
The Raiders win was soured by a calf injury to Josh Papalii, with Stuart saying his was doubtful for Round 8.
“I think he would be doubtful for next week,” Stuart said.
Despite his issues with the refereeing, Stuart rated the performance his side’s best of the season as they secured back-to-back wins.
“That was a tough game,” Stuart said.
“I said it before the game, I think it’s going to be a good game of football. It was certainly that, it was a tough game and I think it was our best 80 minutes of the season.”
Originally published as NRL coach fumes at no try call amid ‘different’ rules in Raiders win
