2 days ago
Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson claims NRL refs have inherent bias against lower teams
Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson has made the sensational claim that referees have an inherent bias against teams that are lower on the NRL ladder.
Richardson doubled down on coach Benji Marshall's post-match critique that the Tigers were hard done by the match officials in Sunday's 18-14 loss to Penrith.
In particular, Marshall said a kick-pressure penalty against Jarome Luai was "outrageous" and that another offside call against the halfback was "bad".
On Friday, Richardson ventured that rebuilding teams such as the 13th-placed Tigers, wooden spooners the past three seasons, were likelier to be penalised than more successful sides.
"I thought there were some pretty ordinary refereeing decisions (in the Panthers game) that certainly had an effect on us," he said on the Tigers' Behind The Roar podcast.
"I've learned over the years, though, that refereeing decisions never really go your way when you're battling up the ladder.
"For some reason referees — and they're humans — they feel that the better teams are going to make better mistakes, less mistakes, when really that's not the case. But it is what it is."
The Tigers have been penalised on average more than any team this season, conceding eight penalties per game across the opening 14 rounds.
But ladder-leading Canberra, the biggest success story of the season, has conceded the second-most behind the Tigers, with 7.6 per game.
Second-placed Canterbury are not far behind in fifth spot with 7.0 per game, only one fewer than the 13th-placed Tigers.
Former Penrith, Cronulla and South Sydney chief executive Richardson claimed becoming a good team would help the Tigers receive more penalties.
"You've got to become one of the better teams to get some more of the rub of the green," he said.
The Tigers hit their round-15 bye on a four-game losing streak, but three of those defeats have come by 10 points or fewer.
Richardson was happy with the club's progress.
"I'm very, very comfortable, not with 5-8 (their record), neither would you be as fans and members, but the reality is that, as a team, we're improving all the time," he said.
AAP
