BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Leeds coach Rohan Smith has questioned some of the decisions made by referee Marcus Griffiths following his side’s loss to Huddersfield.
The Rhinos went down 21-12 and Smith criticised the speed of the ruck during the match, and whether Jake Connor’s second half drop goal should have been awarded.
“The ruck was all over the place and some critical moments in the game were influenced,” he said.
“The RFL have acknowledged there needs to be a shift, that was in round 8 in the coaches meeting, so they’re just going to wait until maybe pre-season to get the player to start playing the ball properly.
“Get to his feet and imitate putting his feet to the ball which allows the markers a chance to get square. It’s just a complete lucky dip…
“I’ve seen other coaches’ press conferences, they’re all guessing the same guess.”
According to Smith, Connor’s drop goal didn’t go through the posts.
“The kicker [Connor] and all his mates were laughing that it didn’t go through,” he said.
“They were getting ready for a 20-metre restart. Everybody said it didn’t go through, except the decision-makers.
“Sometimes they’re difficult when you look over the goalposts, if it’s a high kick. But… in the end we had opportunities, but some days it’s hard to overcome all of those things.”
