Aug 4th, 2017

Aug 4th, 2017

North Queensland coach Paul Green is the latest NRL coach to slam the referees amid an increasingly tense end to the home and away season.

Following on the lead set by fellow coaches Ricky Stuart (Canberra Raiders), Michael Maguire (South Sydney) and Paul McGregor (St George Illawarra) in recent weeks, Green described the officiating in his side’s 26-8 loss to Melbourne in a manner likely to attract the attention of NRL head office.

''It is just a shame the refs ruined it, because that was the worst bloody refereeing display I’ve ever seen, tonight,’’ Green said after the match.

''There were some dead-set calls out there, and I had to ask my assistants what that was for.

''I thought it lacked consistency.

''I’m not one to ever shift the blame away from a performance, so I’m not trying to do that.’’

When pressed on the issue, Green said he had to seek verification on the rationale behind some rulings with his coaching staff.

''There were a number of calls there that I was scratching my head about,’’ he said.

''But I don’t want to make it about shifting the blame, they were the better team on the night, there is no doubt about it.

''I was proud of the effort and the courage that we showed, but… yeah.’’

On the field, Storm wingers Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo-Carr turned in lessons in finishing as the Storm strengthened their grip on top spot on the ladder.

The duo each bagged doubles, profiting from the work of the likes of Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk.