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NRL fans left fuming after Roosters knock-ons ignored in 'ridiculous' farce

NRL fans were left bewildered at some of the refereeing calls against the Warriors.

riley morgan
Sports Reporter
·4-min read
James Tedesco, pictured here in action for the Roosters.
Warriors fans were left fuming as James Tedesco (pictured) and the Roosters got away with a number of controversial calls in their loss. (Getty Images)

Warriors fans have been left perplexed at a number of controversial referee calls in the Roosters 14-0 win over the New Zealand outfit. The Roosters showed impressive defence in wet-weather conditions to hold the Warriors scoreless and win on the road.

But rumblings of refereeing inconsistencies against the Warriors aren't going anywhere after a crucial try by Sitili Tupouniua came after the interchange forward looked to have committed an unpunished shoulder charge in the previous set.

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It would have been cold comfort for the 20,000-strong crowd that the try was set up and scored by two players who grew up in Auckland, hooker Brandon Smith putting a perfect kick along the slippery deck for Tupouniua to dive on under the posts in the 59th minute.

Furthermore, there were two knock-on calls against the Roosters that appeared to be ignored. One in particular that was harsh on the Warriors was against captain James Tedesco.

The fullback caught the ball, but lost control in the slippery conditions. Tedesco went to regather the Steeden, but didn't appear to regather control before it hit the ground.

He then appeared to kick the ball and knock it loose in a show that he didn't have control at the time. Following the knock-on, Roosters forward Tupouniua delivered a devastating tackle that could have been deemed a shoulder charge.

However, referee Chris Butler waved away the incident and deemed 'it has been cleared' as Warriors players argued with the officials. To makes matters worse, the forward went on to only four tackles later.

Coach Andrew Webster said there was: "no excuses, none" when the incident was put to him in the post-match press conference and whether it impacted the game. However, fans saw it differently.

NRL fans were fuming over the string of controversial decisions that clearly favoured the Roosters in the tight battle. It also marks another weekend of tough calls against the Warriors.

Brandon Smith taken to hospital in scary incident

Smith was taken to hospital as a precaution after suffering a worrying neck injury in the Roosters' win. Unfortunately, Smith suffered a neck injury and needed immediate attention on the field before leaving in an ambulance.

The Roosters told NRL.com that the hospital trip was a precaution, and Smith said he was feeling ok. He was expected to undergo scans, with the Roosters hopeful he has avoided serious injury.

James Tedesco (pictured) runs the ball.
James Tedesco (pictured) and the Roosters defeated the Warriors. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Smith earned high praise from coach Trent Robinson for his ability to set up the game-clinching try to Sitili Tupouniua. "He (Smith) has brought a lot of energy for us. It takes a while to understand a new club system ... he's started to imprint his runs and kicks into the game," Robinson said.

Smith's iniury comes at an ill-opportune time, after the hooker had drawn criticism for his performances early in the season following his switch from Melbourne. The New Zealand international was just starting to find some form after learning the new systems at the Roosters.

with AAP

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