NRL referees boss Graham Annesley has hit back at One New Zealand chief executive Jason Paris following accusations of "cheating" from the organisation against NZ Warriors.
Fronting his weekly briefing, going over any and all incidents from the entire NRL round, Annesley took aim at Paris and his rhetoric, labelling it "an attack on the administration of the game."
"I'll be measured as much as I can be, I'm a bit hot under the collar with this stuff," said Annesley.
"We have to look at the facts. I don't have a problem with anyone forming their own opinion of whether these [decisions] are right or wrong. At the end of the day, it's in the eye of the beholder.
"But all it is a difference of opinion. I can go through each of these incidents and I can mount a case to say in each case, the referee was justified or the bunker was justified in the decisions they reached.
"We want the game to be successful. It's not going to be successful if some of the things that are said in the media get any traction, and bring the game into disrepute.
"There is no comment that could be worse than the type of comment we've seen over the last 24 hours in relation to the integrity of the game."
On Saturday, the Warriors were on the receiving end of three questionable decisions in an 18-6 defeat to Penrith Panthers.
Second rower Jackson Ford was sent to the sin bin for a hip drop tackle on Panthers prop Spencer Leniu, while interchange forward Demitric Sifakula was shown similar marching orders for what has been deemed by the NRL as a punch on Nathan Cleary.
Warriors coach Andrew Webster admitted he was puzzled by the call to send off Sifakula, who hit Cleary with an open palm.
Conversely, Panthers centre Tyrone Peachey faced no punishment for a hit to Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak's face that saw him forced off the field for a head injury assessment (HIA).
Those decisions, in combination with similar decisions in Warriors defeats to Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters, prompted Paris - the chief executive of the club's naming sponsor One NZ - to label it "cheating of the highest order" on social media.
Paris stood by his comments on AM on Monday, as the NRL opened an investigation into what has been said.
Annesley also deflected the notion of bias against the Warriors as the only New Zealand side in the NRL.
However, the Warriors have contacted Annesley to go over the questionable calls from the loss to the Panthers, which the NRL's referees boss welcomes.
"I can go to eight losing clubs on any given week, and they'll all tell me they didn't get the rub of the green," he continued.
"This is not something that is peculiar to a team in New Zealand - or anywhere else for that matter.
"Every club, when they lose, believe the so-called 50-50 decisions didn't go their way."
In the 24 hours since his initial tweet, Paris has also walked back some of his comments as to the integrity of NRL referees and officials.
"Just to clear things up - I do not think the NRL referees are cheating," Paris wrote on Tuesday.
"They come to work every day to do their best job for the game. My comments were made in the heat of the moment as a passionate fan."
