Andrew Webster's frustration as RTS' season ended by high shot

By Christopher Reive

Warriors coach Andrew Webster has vented his frustrations at inconsistencies in NRL officiating, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck set to miss the team’s final game of the season after failing a head injury assessment.

After a strong carry into contact in the 45th minute of the 34-18 loss, Tuivasa-Sheck was rocked after Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton made shoulder contact to the Warriors’ centre’s head. Tuivasa-Sheck got back to his feet on wobbly legs, forcing the referee to halt play while he was tended to by a trainer.

Tuivasa-Sheck left the field for a head injury assessment and Crichton was eventually penalised for the high shot and placed on report, but that was the extent of the punishment.

Webster was flummoxed as to how Crichton was allowed to stay on the field even after the play had been reviewed, particularly as Tuivasa-Sheck wasn’t able to return to the game and the shot ultimately ended his season.

“I’m struggling to understand how a shoulder can go into Roger’s head and the bunker has got ages to see it a critical time of the game and then we lose Roger for the game and then we’ve got to reshuffle our team,” Webster said.

“You’ve got to reshuffle anyway, that’s football - but when it happens like that and then nothing gets done to them? We’ve got to protect our players and I just don’t see the consistency one little bit around that.

“Roger will miss next week now. He couldn’t come back and their player goes on. That’s it. That’s all that happens.

“There are so many parts in there that we could have controlled better tonight and the boys know that, but I’m just frustrated how that happens.”

When asked if there needed to be a clearer framework around how officials punish high shots, Webster gave a scathing response.

“I just think they need to know what they’re doing, personally. I just don’t think they know. I don’t think they understand ... the wording around what they say just isn’t clear. It’s hard.”

His comments were echoed by club chief executive Cameron George, who said Warriors players had been sent to the bin for less impactful challenges during the season, highlighting Tuivasa-Sheck’s sinbinning against the Gold Coast Titans in round 16 and Dylan Walker’s in round 23 against the Redcliffe Dolphins.

“It’s a consistent way of refereeing against the Warriors,” George said. “Tonight, it was the most obvious thing, that I was stunned why that player was not sent to the bin for 10 minutes. I just have no idea.

“It’s not about the score, we weren’t the better team on the night, but for the goodness and the greater good of the game, fans want to see consistency – that’s just confusing at the highest level.

“If someone can explain to me at the NRL why that’s not 10 minutes in the bin, then the rest of the fan base and the game will understand. But when we see people getting 10 minutes in the bin for a lot less action, tonight it’s just absolutely confusing. I just don’t understand how something that can be reviewed, put on report, direct contact to the head, cause of injury and not be sent to the bin.

“I want to emphasise we weren’t the better team, we didn’t win, it didn’t cost us a win. But for the greater good of the game, explain that.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission