7th Tackle: The real reason for Green's ref blast

North Queensland coach Paul Green paid a big financial price for his crack at the referees following last Friday night’s loss to the Storm.

But we’ve heard the real source of Green’s frustration wasn’t the men in the middle.

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It was Melbourne superstars Cameron Smith and Billy Slater.

Green has been privately seething about some roughhouse tactics from the champion pair, particularly an elbow to the head of fullback Lachlan Coote.

There’s a feeling among rival coaches that players from Queensland-based teams are in awe of the Storm legends and can be prone to intimidation when they face them in a club match.

In other words, they are beaten before the whistle blows.

Last weekend’s loss completed a difficult fortnight for Green.

Despite losing some of his best players, Green still believed North Queensland were genuine contenders heading into the Roosters game two weeks ago.

But a second half surrender at Moore Park, followed by some tough calls in the Storm loss at home, left Green’s patience exhausted.