Andrew Webster was frustrated with the referees as the Warriors coach gave an update on injured stars Luke Metcalf and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad after his side’s loss to the Broncos.
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The Warriors lost 26-12 for their second loss on the trot and Webster took issue with a couple of off-side referee calls that went against his side.
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The first involved Reece Walsh earning a penalty for being taken out despite the fact he was off-side and the other was when Wayde Egan was called for off-side in the first half.
Webster was fuming at the two calls that went against his team.
“I was right in front of that and he was miles offside, like miles offside,” Webster said of Walsh.
“Wayde Egan in the first half, I ask you to go and pause it when the play-the-ball is and you tell me how he’s offside.
“He’s three metres onside. So it’s like they just made that up. Like Reece Walsh was way in front, the first infraction was that.
“And they probably (will) give me crap that it’s foul play or something. That’s the first infringement. I don’t know how they miss it.
“I’m not a touch, I’m not a ref. I was down there and I could see it.”
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Webster preferred to wait for the results of scans on Metcalf and Nicoll-Klokstad but all options including an ACL are on the table for the halfback, while the fullback also has a knee injury that will keep him out for at least a couple of weeks.
“We’re not sure yet, we’re going to have to get back to New Zealand and find out, get some scans done on him and Charnze and just see what the extent of the injuries are,” Webster said. “But certainly won’t be playing in two weeks I can tell you that much, but I’m just going to wait and see what the scans are and find out.
“I think there are all possibilities on the table at the moment, but then I’m giving me a percentage of what it could be or anything like that.
“I just asked the doctor for a coming just said what was it and he said it could be a number of things, but let’s wait for the scans.”
Webster was unsure when Metcalf was injured but it appeared to come after a late hit from Brendan Piakura, which was placed on report.
“I don’t know how the mechanics of it worked,” Webster said.
“I just saw the contact and they also deemed it fair play and then I thought he was winded and then he walked past me and I said yeah okay and they said he hurt his knee.”
However, Webster wouldn’t be drawn on the penalty for the late hit.
“I honestly was moving on to the next thing, so I’d have to watch it back and they have got more time to look at it,” Webster said.
“That’s their job is to look at those things and if they get it wrong that’s on them.”
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If Metcalf and Nicoll-Klokstad are ruled out for an extended period, Webster is confident he has the players to cover for them.
“Going into Round 1, we’ve got four elite halfbacks,” Webster said.
“We have Tanah Boyd, Te Maire Martin, Chanel, Luke Metcalf. So we’ve got a lot to choose from there.
“But if Charnze is out, we’ve got Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, we’ve got lots of options.”
The Warriors are now in danger of dropping out of the top four in the coming weeks without their star spine players, but Webster is confident he has the squad to weather the storm.
“Two weeks in a row we haven’t just executed what we wanted to do, but I just think there’s so much spirit,” Webster said.
“Like I just said to the boys I honestly think so many clubs would love to have the spirit we’ve got at the moment and how much we’re willing to compete and fight.
“We just got to get things and execute better than what we want to do.
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“I think like moments like that crowd out there playing in moments like that we’re only going to get better at these times learn and our journey is going to be a little bit different and I just feel like they’re learning all the time.
“But one thing I said to them was honestly no disrespect our clubs a lot of people would love what you guys have got and we can build something off that.
“We just going to keep believing and buying into what we want to do.”
