Ricky Stuart unloads on NRL and officials after Raiders' loss to Storm

Canberra coach Ricky Stewart. Photo / Getty Images.

Despite Melbourne having the most obvious reason to complain about the officiating, it was Raiders coach Ricky Stuart who teed off at the referees.

The Storm defeated Canberra 20-14 in the nation's capital on Saturday night but the match wasn't without controversy. There was widespread outrage after Iosia Soliola was allowed to remain on the field after a sickening "cheap shot" on Billy Slater that saw the representative fullback stretchered from the field.

Soliola wasn't even sin binned, only put on report.

So while Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy - and the club's supporters - had every right to be filthy with the let-off, the biggest spray of the night came from the tongue of Stuart.

He believes a series of poor calls robbed his players of the chance to walk away from GIO Stadium with two competition points, and called for the NRL and its officials to be more accountable for their actions.

"Out there tonight - the supporters aren't idiots - you only had to listen to them tonight. I walked into the change room tonight and I had 47 texts," Stuart said. "I never turn my phone on after a game but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wrong in what I was thinking tonight.

"Forty-seven texts, and every one of those texts agreed with every fan out there and everything I believe in and in what I saw in that game tonight.

"Harder to stomach - our season's on the line. Coaches have to come in here and own up to every question you blokes (journalists) want to throw at us and we do it week in and week out. We just keep on aiming up, coming in here and having to answer your questions about our week and our season.

"Why doesn't the NRL get the referees to come in and answer some of these questions too? Or (referees boss) Tony Archer? When do they ever, ever have to face any accountability?

"The best thing the NRL has done is keep fining me and whacking the hell out of me so I don't say anything to try and create some accountability in the game.

"Why doesn't the NRL come out and make public some of the communication between the referees, the bunker and the actual linesmen? Then we'll start fixing some things in regards to what's going on in terms of interpretations and inconsistencies.

"Let's make everyone accountable. I'm accountable. I've got to sit here every friggin week and answer questions. Let's make everyone in the game accountable.

"Those poor bastards in there - my players - they're accountable every week. They've got to go home now and face scrutiny through social media and all our fans. They busted themselves tonight, that's one of the best games they've played all year tonight.

"Not everyone in the game's accountable."

With Slater and Smith off the field, Canberra pushed for an unlikely win. Young gun Nick Cotric scored a try with less than 15 minutes remaining to reduce the deficit to four points.

But the Storm showed grit to stem the tide with Dale Finucane scoring his second try, diving on a grubber which trickled under the posts.

Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul in the final minute and, moments later, Raiders halfback Aidan Sezer completed his own try-scoring double.

But it was too late to avoid another close loss.

The defeat keeps Canberra two wins out of the top eight, but that could be extended to three on Sunday if St George