Warriors coach Andrew Webster has questioned the inconsistency in referee decisions when it comes to contact to the head, saying he’s “not understanding it at the moment.”
Skipper Tohu Harris was on the receiving end of a high tackle from Moses Letoa in the second half of the Warriors’ loss to the Panthers on Saturday night.
Harris stayed down, prompting referee Todd Smith to blow his whistle and stop the clock to allow the bunker to have a look at it.
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The Warriors fans in the Magic Round crowd let out a boo when the replay showed on the big screen, while Fox League commentator Warren Smith said Leota “might have a problem here.”
But the referee blew time back on and allowed the game to continue as Warren Smith explained a change in the interpretation of a rule in commentary.
“A change in interpretation in 2023 — it has to be a reportable and sin-binable offence for it to be a penalty in that situation,” he said.
Harris was asked about the incident after the game but admitted he didn’t know how serious it was.
“I was getting checked, I didn’t even see the replay but the ref said it had been cleared and play on,” he said.
“My teammates weren’t too happy about it but honestly I didn’t get to see the replay or what it looked like.”
Webster was then asked if he got a chance to see the incident.
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He laughed before saying “yeah I saw it” and then had a little crack at both the match officials’ decision — and the journalists in the post-game press conference.
“I get asked this every week, I’m going to take a hat around and get you guys to pay for my fine — if you all want to chip in I’ll give you whatever you want,” Webster joked.
He then referenced another incident in the game where winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was ordered to leave the field for a head injury assessment after copping a knock, but the Warriors also didn’t receive a penalty for that either.
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“But I saw that (Harris incident)… I’ll give you an example. Dallin comes to me and says ‘Webby I’m just letting you know…’ — this is a separate situation — he’s got a swollen face and sore nose,” Webster said.
“No one’s done that on purpose, but yet he goes to the HIA and nothing happens. So things like that, I‘m not understanding it at the moment.”
