NZ Warriors fans have long claimed they never get the rub of the green in big moments and interim coach Todd Payten agrees.
Payten is still fuming, after Jazz Tevaga was controversially sin-binned during Sunday's 24-18 loss to Parramatta Eels, which leaves the Warriors needing more than a miracle to finish inside the NRL's top eight to play playoffs football.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley admits Tevaga's expulsion was "probably" wrong, but players also need to take more responsibility for their actions.
The latest incident is certainly not the first time Annesley has had to console the Warriors.
Last season, numerous calls went against the Warriors, including three in a loss to the Eels that all but ended their 2019 playoff hopes.
That trend continued this season, when dubious referee decisions contributed to coach Stephen Kearney losing his job after the competition restart from COVID-19 shutdown.
Refereeing against the Warriors has become a target on social media, with Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck - brother of captain Roger - often capturing fans' pain with amusing videos.
Payten reflects on another call that went against the Warriors earlier this season, when prop Jack Hetherington was denied a try in a loss to Gold Coast Titans, with the NRL admitting that call was wrong.
"I was really disappointed how important that call was to the game," says Payten. "That is twice this year now we have had two massive calls, in different games, affect the result.
"Given that we are a team that is fighting and scrapping, in contention for the finals, that is going to hurt us.
"I feel that if it happens to a Sydney club, it is certainly made a bigger deal of in the press and in the media, but because it is the Warriors, it is forgotten about pretty quickly.
"I don't know how that can change - do I come out and make a bigger deal of it post match? "I just don't know which way to attack that, but I do get the feeling that because it is us, it is pushed aside pretty quickly and we move on."
After the Eels loss, Payten admitted the Tevaga sin-bin had impacted on the game, but refused to blame it as the sole reason for their defeat.
"I was really frustrated for the first couple of days," says Payten. "I have sort of got my head around it now."
The Warriors face Cronulla Sharks on Sunday and a loss will end their hopes of finishing inside the top eight.
Payten feels referees need to be held more accountable for mistakes they make.
"I know that if it's one of our players and they continually make mistakes, or mistakes in crucial parts of the game under pressure and it's a consistent thing where it happens week upon week, we don't pick him.
"I think that's the accountability that they should hold from their end, so that's the way I would go."
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