Captain of the West Tigers, Robbie Farah, has expressed his frustrations towards referee Jared Maxwell, claiming that different standards are applied during golden point extra time.
Maxwell officiated the match where the Tigers faced a heartbreaking 34-30 loss to a depleted South Sydney team in the dying moments of the extra period at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
Farah stated on the Austereo network, “I definitely think there’s a different set of rules in extra time than in general time.”
He recalled, “I thought I had a penalty right on fulltime, actually, and Jared Maxwell had the whistle in his mouth but then I think he didn’t have the kahunas to blow the whistle.”
He added, “He knew it would have decided the game and the referees, I think, they’re scared to come up with that big call in extra time to give a penalty that’s going to decide the game.” The match concluded with a stunning try from Souths debutant Dylan Farrell, who secured his hat-trick thanks to a set-up by veteran Rhys Wesser.
This defeat dropped the Tigers out of the top four, as they continue to struggle for fluency despite achieving eight wins in their last 11 games.
Injury worries are also present for the team, with centre Chris Lawrence dealing with concussion and winger Sam Latu facing a hamstring issue. Additionally, fullback Wade McKinnon (hamstring) and forward Todd Payten (back) were unable to play against the Rabbitohs.
Farah remarked on BigPond Sports Weekend, “We’ve got to continue to work on simply retaining possession and being a bit more patient.”
He elaborated, “When we make breaks we think we’ve got to score on that play and we try a kick or a pass when we’re better off … trying to score on the next play.”
Farah concluded, “Sometimes we do get a bit excited and it does cost us on the night when it doesn’t come off for us.”