Blake Green: Refs got it wrong with late penalty

COMMENT:

In my opinion the referees got it wrong with their late penalty for the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.

I am a Warriors player obviously, and the last thing I want to do is criticise the officials because they have such a tough job, but even when I try to look at it from a non-biased position I can't see it being a penalty.

It wasn't a decision we deserved after such a courageous display.

I understand and respect decisions are made in a split second, but the main point for me as a player is that it was a surrender tackle.

The whole idea around surrender tackles is to try to eradicate situations in the game where players would carry the ball, dive to the ground and then try to get up quickly.

We have been taught, and the referees have reinforced to us, that in such situations players are not allowed to win the tackle. Mainly because they haven't initiated contact.

Looking at it through that lens, Jesse Bromwich didn't earn the right to play the ball quickly and as such he knocked the ball on.

That's why I am frustrated. I could understand if it was a "neutral" tackle — then I would say it was a 50-50 call — but still maybe harsh in the context of the game.

Some people have suggested big teams get more calls go their way, and it might look like at times.

I wouldn't go that far though — it's more that when you are winning you tend to get a bit of luck, and when you are not things have a habit of going the other way.

On a positive note, it was an impressive performance from the team.

The AMII Park ground in Melbourne is always a very difficult place to go and even more with all the emotion around the Anzac Day commemorations.

I thought we absorbed a heap of pressure, defended really well and it was just unfortunate the way the game ended. In the end there's going to be healthy debate about who deserved a bit more — that's footy.

I've been quite surprised with the talk around Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and his injury.

People in some quarters seem to be quite upset with "Mooks" [Warriors coach Stephen Kearney], but they aren't aware of the facts around RTS' withdrawal from the Storm game.

After a tough game against the Cowboys last Saturday, Tuivasa-Sheck came into training on Monday feeling some tightness in his hammy.

Bumps, bruises, soreness and tightness are part and parcel of the 48-72 hours following an NRL game — almost all of the boys would have been feeling one thing or another coming in to training early in the week.

Importantly, on Wednesday Tuivasa-Sheck completed probably three-quarters of the captain's run and looked in really good nick, before he felt his hamstring again and was subsequently ruled out.

Stuff like that happens all the time and some of the commentary around Mooks as a result has been unfair.

On a separate note, I'm confident I'll be back on deck next Sunday against the Newcastle Knights.

There just hasn't been enough time to get my groin to a point where I am 100 per cent confident in it since I strained it two weeks ago.

I tried to run last week the day before the Cowboys game but it wasn't quite right.

Mooks then named me in our 21-man squad to face the Storm, giving me every chance to play, but I struggled early in the week and with a flight across to Australia I didn't think it was fair to risk a spot in the 17.

I can't wait to get back into it next weekend against the Knights — with a long turnaround there shouldn't be any issues whatsoever.

Despite the results of the last three games, the improvement within the group is obvious. It's only a matter of time before everything clicks.