Analysis: Before dismissing Warriors bias claims, educate yourself

By Tiffany Salmond, sports contributor*

Shaun Johnson talks to the referee during the Warriors game against Penrith.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Analysis – For those who don’t spend their weekends trawling through Warriors match-day hashtags on Twitter, it may have come as a shock to read the bias allegations hurled at NRL referees by One NZ chief executive, Jason Paris – the Warriors major corporate sponsor.

But for Warriors tragics, it’s been a relief to finally have the issue raised as a legitimate topic of discussion outside of the sphere of the club’s online fanbase.

Ask any ‘day one’ and they’ll tell you the Kiwi club has always had to compete against referee calls. Decisions that they know would have been different if the player was sporting another team’s jersey.

Whether NRL referees have an unconscious bias against the Warriors has been a topic fans have discussed exclusively between each other. It’s a ‘if you know you know’ type of inside joke. But it took someone with a high-standing profile like Jason Paris to bring the discourse into the public arena.

But now the floodgates have opened, and everyone has an opinion on a situation they know nothing about.

A tweet from One NZ chief executive Jason Paris – the Warriors major corporate sponsor.
Photo: Screenshot / Twitter

To understand Warriors fans aren’t sore losers with a victim complex, you need to know the circumstances surrounding why they’re so upset.

To thank the Warriors for their sacrifice of relocating to Australia for the past three years due to Covid, the NRL scheduled for them to play three games in a quick turnaround of 11 days, against three of the top teams in the competition. How’s that for a ‘welcome home’ gift?

Warriors supporters were understandably fed up on Saturday night – One NZ chief executive Jason Paris included – when they played against the Penrith Panthers. It was the last straw in a culmination of inconsistent calls that had disadvantaged the Warriors over weeks.

Captain Tohu Harris copped a forearm across his jaw during a high tackle from Moses Letoa. The NRL Bunker revised the tackle as Warriors supporters filled Suncorp Stadium with disapproving booing. To everyone’s shock – including the commentators – the referee signalled to play on as ‘a change in interpretation’ meant the high tackle was ruled acceptable. The 2023 interpretation is the NRL Bunker will only intervene with the on-field referees’ decision if they believe the degree of contact with the head or neck is sufficient to warrant a player being placed on report.

Going off this explanation alone, the decision on Saturday night seems like the correct one.

But context means everything.

In round eight, Warriors five-eighth Dylan Walker was sinbinned for a grade two dangerous contact charge on Storm’s Eliesa Katoa. It was clear there was no malicious intent and Katoa had hit his head on the ground on his way down, while Walker’s arm rubbed his face during the impact. If anything, the high tackle on Tohu Harris looked a lot worse. In a climate where simply bumping a player above the shoulders results in punishment, it is baffling that the hit on Harris was allowed.

Back to the Panthers game, and it was the same scenario when Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was sent off for an HIA (Head Injury Assessment) despite the offender not being sin sin-binned or penalised.

And how could we forget rookie Demitric Sifakula being sent off for a shove on Penrith’s Nathan Cleary, which some have branded as one of the softest sin bins so far this season.

Non-Warriors die-hards need to understand that this wasn’t a one-off game where the team didn’t have the rub of the green.

The week prior, Sydney Roosters second-rower Sitili Tupouniua committed a shoulder charge that looked as though it’d been taken straight out of the Sonny Bill Williams playbook. But once again, it was play on. Tupouniua scored a try only moments later despite many believing he shouldn’t have been on the field at all.

One of the tweets following an incident during a Warriors v Sydney Roosters match.
Photo: Screenshot / Twitter

Only five days before the Roosters match, the Warriors played their annual ANZAC clash against the Melbourne Storm. Unfortunately, the NRL didn’t consider their New Zealand fanbase in the scheduling of the match. Kick-off wasn’t until 9pm which meant an almost 11pm week night finish. Instead, the NRL scheduled two Australian based teams to headline the 6pm slot.

It was a frustrating viewing experience for those who were dedicated to the late night. After a kick from Storm’s Jahrome Hughes, players from both teams jumped and collided in the air. The ball bounced forward and Storm’s Nick Meaney pounced to score. The try went to the bunker and despite it being obvious to fans that Storm centre Reimis Smith had a hand on the ball last, the bunker ruled it a try.

Former Warriors star Logan Swann let rip on his frustration watching the action play out.

“Reimis Smith went up to contest the ball and there was one camera angle that would have shown he touched the ball; they would have seen that if they slowed it down.

“But they didn’t bother going back to that camera angle again and went to a couple of other cameras to get the point across that there was no touch.”

Swann, who played 195 games for the Warriors, backed the One NZ chief executive’s claims that there was a bias from referees against the club.

“For the first time in a long time, I have actually taken the time to contact the NRL in disgust with some of the calls and decisions that have been made by officials.

“I haven’t had a reply back, but I’ve never felt compelled to do that before.”

Warriors captain Tohu Harris watches on as Jackson Ford is sent to the sin-bin.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

None of this discourse is new to Warriors fans and it’s only being spoken about now because Jason Paris has influence, and he makes for a great headline. But now that it is making news, everyone wants to join the conversation. Those who aren’t familiar with the context, are completely missing the point and attempting to diminish a very real issue.

NRL referees are highly paid professionals and there should be space for legitimate criticism.

Despite countless fans, former players and sports commentators agreeing with the sentiment, the NRL have been heavy handed with their response.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said Paris’ comments were “unacceptable” while Professional Rugby League Match Officials boss Matt Cecchin did not hold back.

“We feel strong enough to seek legal opinion and based on the information we’ll pursue [by] whatever means necessary to ensure that it’s seen as a deterrent for anyone who thinks about making any such comments around bias,” Checchin said.

The reaction from those involved in the NRL is concerning. What happened to free speech? Why would you want to deter your fans and audience from speaking up when they feel as though something is wrong? It was possible for them to defend the integrity of their referees while also acknowledging the concerns of fans and allowing those concerns to be heard and respected.

To the Warriors credit, they’ve distanced themselves from the building debate and are instead focussing on their own performances and how they can improve.

Would the Warriors have won the past few games if it wasn’t for the unjust referee calls? Who knows, but it’s about giving each team an equal opportunity and certainly not allowing the officials to change the momentum of games.

If the Warriors are to win a grand final, they will have to be twice as good as every other team in the competition, because if they’re relying on 50/50 calls, we know the favour will always lie with the opposition.

* Tiffany Salmond has a background in journalism, reporting and producing with a passion for sports broadcasting, rugby league and human interest stories. She will be attending the 2023 Rugby World Cup and will be reporting on all the action for RNZ.