By PETER JESSUP
After the game came the war of the commentators.
Big losses always result in recriminations and the Auckland Warriors' rugby league thrashing at the hands of Canberra was no exception. The 56-12 outcome brought a range of sledging and slagging between the comments men, match officials and armchair critics.
Sky Television's game-callers Brent Todd and Graham Hughes had plenty of disparaging remarks about the standard of refereeing and tough judging at Bruce Stadium. Hughes asserted yesterday that at least 24 of the 68 points scored came after bad decisions.
The pair joined Australian radio commentators for a drink after the game and found considerable sympathy. Although their transtasman counterparts had used phrases such as "the Auckland girls" and suggested they couldn't tackle a powder puff, they had considerable sympathy for the cries of bad calls from the match officials.
Many Sydney players now have the attitude that if they do not get top referees Bill Harrigan or Steve Clark blowing their games the result is a matter of chance. Already there is much disappointment that new referees' coach Peter Louis has done little other than spring to the defence of his besieged officials.
On talkback radio yesterday there was much comment that the Warriors should get on with the game and stop bagging the referees. Rugby caller Keith Quinn's reference in that regard fired Hughes to tell him to shut up until he learned something about the game.
"I've had a gutsful of people suggesting I'm biased [in favour of the Warriors]," said the Australian-born-and-resident former Bulldog.
"The Warriors were stone cold dudded against Wests Tigers. Maybe I could cop that on the chin, but [in Canberra] there were 24 points that should have been disallowed. I'm not going to cop some boofhead rugby union commentator who I've never criticised bagging us. I'm happy to sit down and explain the game to him."
Hughes discounted six tries, saying:
* Brett Mullins was offside when Laurie Daley bombed the Auckland line for the first try.
* Rod Jensen was offside when he chased down Daley's second bomb.
* Jensen was clearly in play when he knocked a John Simon kick dead, the resulting possession leading to Canberra's third try to Mark McLinden just before halftime.
* Jason Crocker knocked-on as he dived over the line for try nine.
* The John Simon pass that produced the second Warriors try for Tony Tuimavave was forward.
* Lesley Vainikolo's second try came after a forward pass.
Hughes approached referee Sean Hampstead and his touch judges afterwards to query the decision to award a try to Mullins after the video referee examined the play then referred the decision back to the field. He said that as in cricket, where the benefit of the doubt goes to a batsman, a try should not be awarded unless there is absolute surety.
"If the touch judge can't tell if it's offside and the video ref can't tell, how can you then say it's a try?"
Hughes said Hampstead replied that "the bloke [touch judge] on the far side said he thought it was okay."
The Warriors were dreadful, Hughes agreed, but their poor performance was matched by that of the officials.
"The referees and linesmen clearly are suffering a crisis of confidence. Someone at the NRL needs to get their head out of the sand over this."
Hughes said he was wary of continually commentating in the negative, but "if the wrong decisions are being made all the time people will switch off."
Rugby League: Off-field brawl over refs
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