NZ Warriors coach Nathan Brown still refuses to offload the blame for his team's loss to Sydney Roosters last weekend, despite growing claims of favouritism among NRL match officials.
Warriors fans have long complained of a perceived trans-Tasman bias against the Auckland-based club, but now other small-market teams have joined the chorus, insisting referees unconsciouly favour the competition's leading sides, leaving the underdogs frustrated at their inability to get an even break.
That suspicion gained momentum, after a series of marginal calls seemed to sap the spirit from the Warriors, as they let a halftime lead slip in a 22-14 defeat.
Among the most obvious were Roosters captain James Tedesco - also NSW State of Origin skipper - escaping the sin bin for a blatant professional foul with the Warriors hot on attack, while Warriors centre Jesse Arthars had a try disallowed for a knock-on in a tackle that could just as easily have been a strip.
The Warriors are believed to have asked for a 'please explain' from NRL bosses, but afterwards, Brown would not point the finger at officials and, four days later, he's still not prepared to let his team off the hook that easily.
"If you look at us, in the past 11 years, the club has played only one finals game of football," reflected Brown. "I think our main focus has got to be, as a coaching staff, what could we do better last week and what can we do better going forward.
"The players need to look at 'how can I do better, what can I be better at, how can I prepare better, how can I play better?'
"I personally can't help a referee get any better - that's not my forte - and I can assure you none of my players can help the referees get better neither.
"When you look at where we've been to as a club and where we want to go, if we put more focus into what we can do, we'll have more chance of becoming a top club, as opposed to worrying what the referee might be doing."
Brown insists the Warriors can better influence referees by becoming a better team, rather than vice versa.
"There's no doubt some 50/50 [calls] can influence the contest, but I also know, if we get ourselves going consistently well and keep challenging opposition sides... the outcomes will work out a lot better for us," he said.
"When you're getting better outcomes and winning more games, the ball tends to bounce your way a little more - that's the way sport is, I suppose."
The Warriors continue their quest for consistency against another of the NRL's glamour sides, Melbourne Storm, on ANZAC Monday.
Faced with a spate of injuries last year and with nothing to lose, Brown tossed rookie Reece Walsh into a first-grade debut in the halves and he immediately impressed.
"We're going down there with a far different outlook this time," he said. "There's two points up for grabs and we want to get those two points.
"Last year was a very different situation where we were at, as a club. We've got to attack the game to get those two points."
Join us at 9pm Monday for live updates of the Warriors v Storm NRL ANZAC Day clash or watch live on Three
