League: Kemp in clear

New Zealand Warriors coach Tony Kemp has escaped censure for his criticism of referee Tony Archer after his side's loss to North Queensland last Sunday.

NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley yesterday opted not to sanction Kemp after viewing a video of the post-match media conference although he was unhappy with the tenor of Kemp's comments, which included a claim that Archer "killed a game of rugby league".

"He went as closer as you can go to overstepping the mark without making a breach," Annesley said.

"We weren't very impressed because he started by saying the NRL gags coaches from commenting on referee's performances. Nothing can be further from the truth."

The Warriors were on the wrong end of a 11-7 penalty count as the Cowboys won the third-round match 32-22.