‘Frustrating’: Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett questions NRL referees after loss to Warriors

Trent Barrett’s Bulldogs were in the fight at halftime of their clash with the Warriors but two refereeing decisions left the coach fuming.

The Warriors are still in the hunt for an unlikely finals spot. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Trent Barrett has sensationally questioned a crucial high tackle decision in the second half that he believes stalled his side’s momentum during Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Warriors.

The Bulldogs looked to have scored through winger Falakiko Manu, but the on-field decision was overturned by the Bunker who spotted a high shot from Sione Katoa that made direct contact to Edward Kosi’s head after he dropped the ball.

Most people thought referee Peter Gough would send Katoa to the sin bin given Ryan Matterson and Corey Harawira-Naera were sent off for slightly worse tackles, but he merely placed the incident on report.

Katoa was also put on report minutes later for a high tackle on Euan Aitken, but Barrett was furious his interchange hooker was penalised for the first tackle.

“I thought we did get going (in the second half) and then had the try that got us back in the game taken off us for reasons I still don’t know. That would’ve put us back to 22-16,” he said.

“The Warriors player makes an error – it wasn’t a high tackle, it wasn’t late – and we get a try taken off us. I still can’t work out why, and I’ve had a look at it again. It didn’t hit him in the head.

“He was going to make a tackle, simultaneous to him dropping the ball.

“We score and it gets taken off us by the Bunker when their orange shirt (trainer) tells him to stay down. That’s frustrating because we did put ourselves back in the game, and that would have put us right back in the game. I just don’t understand.”

Barrett took over as the Bulldogs’ coach this season. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Barrett was equally miffed by the call to place Ryan James on report for a late tackle on Chanel Harris-Tavita after he kicked the ball.

Warriors fullback Reece Walsh rushed in and shoved James, which sparked a melee.

“It happened again at the start of the game when Ryan James legitimately tackled the kicker. He didn’t hit him high and he took him to ground,” Barrett said.

“It was a full-bodied tackle, and then Reece Walsh runs in and incites a melee, but we get put on report and penalised for that, which leads to a try.

“There are things we need to do better – I’m certainly not hiding that fact – but it’s happened all year and it happened again today.

“They change games, and we’re not in a position where we can have them go against us. Those ones kill you.

“It is luck of the draw.

“Jake Averillo gets hit and hurts himself and it looks like he’s broken his hand in that contact, but nothing. It’s frustrating.”

Warriors coach Nathan Brown blamed the mid-season crackdown for the confusion around high-tackle penalties, and said any future rule changes should be implemented in the pre-season to protect players and officials.

“The officials are like the Prime Minister or the Premier,” he said.

“Half the people hate them and half the people like them depending on what happens any given week. They don’t get too many plaudits, so to make it easier on them, let’s get our rules sorted before the season starts so we can all practise.

“It’s been a real contentious one for everyone. We’ve had times when we’ve lost blokes to the bin when I thought they were a touch unlucky, but we’ve also had some guys go to the bin where they deserved to go the bin.

“Players are trying to adapt, and so are referees.”

Bulldogs try denied and Katoa placed on report ❌

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There were fears the Warriors would crumble the moment Roger Tuivasa-Sheck went back to New Zealand, but they are now firmly in the finals race after recording three-straight wins for the first time since 2018.

The 24-10 victory over Canterbury has them just one win outside the top eight, with a game next week against the lowly Broncos, followed by the Raiders and Titans, who are just above them on 20 competition points.

It would be one of the more remarkable stories of the year, and would attract interest from Netflix for the next series of Stranger Things.

Other clubs have already given up on 2021, but the Warriors – who were meant to play this game in New Zealand before Covid intervened – have all the momentum and are playing some of their best footy of the season.

“We were written off a few weeks ago when everyone was going home, but everyone’s out there trying to prove a point and showing that we really want this,” Reece Walsh said.

Their team looks nothing like the one that started the year, but one thing that has stayed the same has been their attitude, something summed up perfectly in a three-minute burst in the second half.

It started with some good defence on their own line to force a Bulldogs error. In the next set, the markers chased hard on the last tackle to force an errant pass that was pounced on by Josh Curran. Three plays later, Chanel Harris-Tavita chipped early in the count for Reece Walsh to score.

“To win three is pleasing,” Brown said.

“Our footy and how we want to play isn’t quite where we want it to be, but we’re getting better each week.”

Walsh had another great game, scoring a try to go with one line break assist and one try assist. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Dog days aren’t over

Anything that could go wrong did go wrong for a team that will claim the wooden spoon.

They lost Corey Allan to illness before kick-off, conceded the opening try for the 14th game in a row, they kicked off out on the full, looked clueless in attack and at one point sent a midfield bomb sailing backwards.

They completed well but attacked with the sharpness of a butter knife. Fittingly, one of their two tries came from an intercept.

The two loan players, Ryan James and Corey Horsburgh, were okay without being great, and the Bulldogs could be without James after he was placed on report for a late tackle on Harris-Tavita after he put up a kick.

It could be a moot point if the Raiders decide to recall the forwards next week given they’ll be without Harawira-Naera and the injured Tom Starling.

“He’s got nothing to worry about,” Barrett said.

“I’ll talk to Sticky (Ricky Stuart) about that. They were good enough to help us out so if they want one of them back or need both, that’d work both ways for us. They were two of our better players.”

Kyle Flanagan is a chance to return, with fears Jake Averillo suffered a broken hand, while Jeremy Marshall-King’s wife is expected to give birth soon.

Two first half tries gave the Bulldogs a sniff but they couldn’t get across the chalk in the second stanza. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Unsung hero

He went viral for stacking it on the Gold Coast last week, but Josh Curran showed the Bulldogs just how dangerous he can be when he stays on his feet.

The young forward made three breaks in the first half, including two in the opening minutes, and was rewarded with the first try of the afternoon when he ran the perfect line to hit a hole on the edge.

He later played the role of wingman when he popped a brilliant offload to set up fellow forward Jazz Tevaga for his first try of the season to get off the dreaded nudie run.

He ran for 135 metres, made 35 tackles and was strong on the edge and in the middle as he played the role of Tohu Harris to perfection.

“He was probably the best player on the field by a fair margin,” Brown said.

Originally published as ‘Frustrating’: Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett questions NRL referees after loss to Warriors