Parramatta Eels interim coach Trent Barrett has slammed a non-call over a claimed obstruction during the dying stages of the club’s high-scoring loss to the Penrith Panthers on Friday evening.
The incident saw Liam Martin seemingly take out Parramatta defender Deajarn Asi in the 78th minute, allowing the Panthers to make a break and for Izack Tago to score from range.
Replays, when precedent of other decisions were taken into account, suggested the decisions would be an easy one for the bunker, but the verdict was returned with a try allowed to be added to the total.
Barrett said the call cost his side the game.
“The last try I thought there was an obstruction in there and a pretty bad one too,” Barrett said during the post-match press conference.
“How that happens with the officiating that we’ve got and how many people are looking at it, I don’t know. Daejarn Asi got knocked over by Liam and it shouldn’t have been a try.
“The game is cruel at times and it was cruel at the end.
“There were a few (calls) and sometimes that happens when you’re not supposed to be winning, you know when Penrith are the premiers and maybe they were a bit surprised we were in the contest and we didn’t get a couple (of calls) tonight.
“The last one is hard to cop, you just can’t do that, you see it every other week and they get pulled up… and that cost us the game.
“I just feel for the players, they were the better side and didn’t deserve to lose that tonight.”
Captain Clint Gutherson didn’t mince his words either, labelling the bunker a ‘lottery’.
“If you’re looking at it that long then there has to be something there. I feel like if their lead (runner) is hitting our half and he’s hitting the deck then we can’t have cover tackles, we don’t have the movement to get there.
“I thought the rule now was if they get taken out… it’s a lottery at the moment which is disappointing.
“It’s just disappointing, we put so much effort into that game.”
