A “pissed off” Ricky Stuart has delivered another extraordinary press conference spray, suggesting match officials “didn’t do their jobs properly” in Canberra’s 29-18 loss to Brisbane on Saturday night.
Three tries for Broncos winger Selwyn Cobbo and another silky Reece Walsh display helped their side put one hand on the NRL minor premiership, now on top of the ladder and able to seal that position with a win against Melbourne on Thursday night.
But Stuart took aim at referee Adam Gee and the bunker for some controversial calls, including the decision to sin-bin Jordan Rapana for an attempted trip on Cobbo when he scored to put them ahead 20-18 in the 62nd minute.
Another contentious call saw Hudson Young penalised for an obstruction after the Raiders had gathered the ball from a Brisbane dropout looking for an equalising try, the second-rower making minimal contact with Cobbo as he leapt for the ball.
But Stuart, who initially tried to bite his tongue while noting his unfiltered views would get him fined by the NRL, then suggested decisions went against his side “for 80 minutes”.
“Why do you reckon little old ladies are sitting up on the chairs going off their heads?” he asked.
“When the little old ladies have gone off their heads, you’ve had a bad day.
“I can’t do nothing, you’ve just got to cop it.
“(Referees boss) Jarrod Maxwell is a very good operator … I reckon power has been taken off Jarrod in a number of areas because they’re not improving.
“It happens every game on these escorts, (but) I just don’t understand why it’s been us … well I do understand, but that’s probably the bit I can’t talk about.”
Stuart, whose Raiders could still miss finals if they don’t beat Cronulla away from home next weekend, was less than impressed when asked how his team could put the loss behind them.
“Don’t ask me questions I can’t answer,” he said.
“I get brought in here, I’ve got the NRL ringing up, the media manager saying ‘why isn’t he in his press conference?’
“The reason I’m not coming into this press conference earlier and why I’m keeping you poor people waiting is because I’m pissed off because people aren’t doing their jobs properly.”
The extra player after Rapana’s sin-binning helped Cobbo find his third try of the night and put the Broncos 24-18 clear before Walsh slotted a field goal ahead of slicing through the Raiders line for a try of his own as the score blew out.
Walsh clinically put through Cobbo and centre Kotoni Staggs for tries in the first half, although two brilliant offloads by Canberra captain Elliott Whitehead assisted four-pointers for Matt Frawley and Nick Cotric.
A classic, dancing effort from Brisbane five-eighth Ezra Mam put the visitors ahead but a perfect line from Young ensured a 16-16 scoreline at halftime.
The Raiders played regular five-eighth Jack Wighton in the centres with Frawley filling in at No.6, meaning veteran Jarrod Croker was relegated to the bench and only saw three minutes of action in what was possibly his last game in Canberra before retirement.
