Titans coach lashes out at referees post-match for several calls against his side.
Gold Coast Titans coach John Cartwright has savaged the performance of the referees as he watched his side go down 24-22 to the New Zealand Warriors at Skilled Stadium.
Cartwright was upset that Thomas Leuluai was not penalsied for kicking winger David Gordon in the head has he looked to score a last-gasp winning try.
A diving Gordon planted the ball on the dead-ball line but was knocked senseless by a sliding Leuluai who went unpenalised despite the incident being reviewed by video referees Steve Chiddy and Neil Wharton.
“How can you miss it? He got knocked out,” Cartwright said.
“You’re going to sit there and tell me we missed it in such a crucial game with semi-finals on the line?
“If that’s their excuse then we’re in trouble. The game’s in trouble.
“That’s there for everyone to see. The blatant sliding into the legs when a bloke’s going for a try is there for everyone to see.
“It’s hard to put into words what I’m feeling.”
How is it possible to not get penalized for a blatant kick in the head??? This is bullshit!
— Greg Bird (@Birdman_013) August 24, 2013
The Warriors, who have won their past six games against the Titans, are still alive in the finals race with games against the Raiders (home) and Dragons (away) to come.
The Titans shot out to a 16-6 lead with a double to prop Ryan James and opportunistic try to Brad Takairangi but lost Mark Minichiello (cheek) and Ashley Harrison (broken hand) to potentially season-ending injuries.
Jerome Ropati scored an important try for the visitors to make it 16-10 at half-time before bagging his second to go with a penalty to Shaun Johnson gave his side an eight-point lead in the second half.
Anthony Don scored out wide for the Titans to make the margin just two before Gordon was denied with less then a minute left on the clock.
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