Canberra coach does not hold back when asked post-game about his team’s effort.
When the Canberra Raiders failed to put away a Wests Tigers side that was at one stage down to just 14 men, you knew coach Ricky Stuart would be fired up in the post-game press conference.
And he did not disappoint unloading with both barrels at the referees in charge of the game and his side after being downed by the Tigers 19-18.
“Under those conditions, we should’ve put them away in the second half and we weren’t good enough. It’s as simple as that,” Stuart said.
“You can’t dodge around the truth. We should’ve won tonight, with what happened to that team there tonight. It’s unacceptable how we get beaten. They had injury after injury after injury.
“And to be honest, if we think we’re a first grade football team, we should’ve won. That’s the way I see it. There is no excuse for that.”
Stuart was not impressed by the officials in charge of the game, and when asked what he though about Matt Cecchin interrupting Jarrod Croker for a potentially match-winning penalty, Stuart did not hold back.
“The game was refereed by the video refs tonight. I can’t understand why there’s so many stoppages, because the referees out there are too scared to make a decision,” Stuart said.
“I don’t want to blame the two referees but that’s where the game’s got to. All we’re doing is waiting for upstairs to make a decision.
“It’s not a bitch about the loss. I just said then, I explained the situation about the loss.
“(Anthony) Milford got hit off the head from the kickoff and we don’t get a penalty. I’ve never seen a referee jump in as a bloke’s about to take a kick, a goal to win a match. And he jumps in as a bloke’s about to take his first step.”
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