Warriors coach Andrew Webster has fired a rocket at match officials after Bulldogs centre Stephen Crichton was sensationally allowed to remain on the field despite collecting Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in the head with his shoulder in the Bulldogs’ 34-18 victory on Friday night in Auckland.
The controversial decision added a sour note to the Warriors’ loss in what was favourite son Shaun Johnson’s final ever home game.
Crichton knocked out Tuivasa-Sheck with a no-arms high tackle at a critical stage in the match with the Warriors leading 18-16 in the 46th minute.
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Replays then showed Crichton made no attempt to wrap his arms as his shoulder made direct contact with the head.
Tuivasa-Sheck tried to bounce to his feet but immediately staggered sideways before hitting the deck, clearly concussed and did not return to the match after being deemed a category one HIA.
He will now spend a minimum 11 days sidelined due to HIA protocols and Webster made his thoughts known to those in charge.
“I think we’ve got a big part to play in it (the loss) but I’m struggling to understand how a shoulder can go into Roger’s head and the bunker’s got ages to see it in a critical time of the game and then we lose Roger and we’ve got to reshuffle all our team,” Webster said.
“You’ve got to reshuffle anyway – that’s football – but if it happens because it just happens – but when it happens like that and nothing gets done to them – we’ve got to protect our players.
“And I just don’t see the consistency one little bit around that. Roger will miss next week now and couldn’t come back (into the game) and their player (Crichton) goes on (playing). That’s it.
“There are some parts there that we could have controlled better tonight and the boys know that but I am just frustrated how that happens.
“I just think they need to know what they’re doing, personally. I just don’t think they know. I don’t think they understand because the wording around what they say just isn’t clear. It’s hard.”
Referee Wyatt Raymond, who was receiving instructions from the Bunker in his earpiece, stunned all onlookers by only putting Crichton on report.
Warriors skipper Mitch Barnett immediately protested after the hit and reminded referee Raymond that Tuivasa-Sheck had gone off concussed.
“I understand that. We’ve gone through it and there is a high level of mitigation which is why it’s just on report,” Raymond said.
The controversial call comes just 24 hours after three Manly players were softly binned against the Tigers on Thursday night when the Bunker took a completely different approach to head-high contact.
“High level of mitigation? Where is Stephen Crichton using the arms in that tackle?” Fox League’s Andrew Voss said immediately following the high shot.
“That’s a very controversial decision there (to leave Crichton on), obviously you’ve seen a lot more forceful shoulders to the heads of opponents, but the consequences are there on a tackle that was nowhere near copybook technique and it’s still 13 on 13.
“Manly would be blowing up a treat at that.”
Fellow commentator Steve Roach agreed.
“He should have been sent to the sin bin. Every time I’ve seen contact to the head without wrapping the arms, you’re gone,” Roach said.
It proved a major turning point in the match as the Warriors didn’t score again as the Bulldogs piled on three unanswered tries to win it 34-18.
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