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'They turn the momentum of the game' - Warriors coach Stephen Kearney slams NRL for current state of refereeing after loss

July 22, 2018

Stephen Kearney has become the latest coach to take aim at the NRL's handling of the current refereeing issue the competition is facing after this afternoon's 12-6 loss to the Storm.

Kearney insisted he wasn't blaming officials for today's result but admitted he was "stunned" by some of the calls made at Mount Smart Stadium.

"I think there is a problem [with the refereeing]," said Kearney. "Unfortunately they have been poorly led. They get a directive [from the NRL] at the start of the year to blow the pea out of the whistle and 13 rounds in that changes again."

"It's just about that consistency and I feel for them at the moment. There is enough smart people in our game to get it sorted, and we need to make sure we do something about it. It's a bit of a blight on our game at the minute."

Kearney isn't thinking about his future amid speculation of the club moving into new ownership.

The Warriors coach's comments come after Raiders' coach Ricky Stuart had a post-match outburst about the current state of officiating in the NRL following his side's controversial loss to the Sharks.

"All this rot started at round one this year," Stuart said on Friday night.

"I don't know who came out and told the referees they had to come in and pick on everything ... start nitpicking on s****y pieces of play.

"This is why people are turning off rugby league. It's sad. I don't blame the referees, they've got a tough job, but too many voices around them are making it too hard for them."

The Raiders coach also attacked the NRL's bunker, accusing it of ruining momentum in play and making it harder for referees.

For Kearney, his biggest issue came midway through the second half when winger Ken Maumalo was whistled for an invisible knock on moments after Cameron Smith had hit him with a high tackle.

"Ken's one was a pretty obvious one," Kearney said.

"They are moments for them, and as Ricky alluded to the other day, they are game changers. They turn the momentum of the game."

Kearney also took aim at inconsistency in the late stages of the close match.

"We get penalised for leaving our line too early, a couple of minutes before the end of the game," he said.

"[Then] we head up and are on their try line and by the time we catch the ball they are in our face."

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