Knights coach Adam O’Brien believes his side were refereed to a “harsh standard” in the 36-28 loss against the Storm.
Melbourne were given five set restarts throughout the game, including a few close to the Knights’ line. The Knights on the other hand did not earn one.
“We did go through a lot, and like the opposition will hurt you if you take a breath, but I thought we were dealt with really harshly. It was a harsh standard across the 80 minutes,” O’Brien said.
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“I don’t know how often you see that last penalty at the end, not very often, it just felt lopsided.
“There are times where we push the envelope and I understand that, but I felt it was a harsh standard.”
O’Brien was also asked about the tackle which saw Kai Pearce-Paul put on report in the 37th minute.
“I’m staying away from that one. I knew you’d ask,” O’Brien said.
“I see a fair few of them going around.”
O’Brien says Newcastle played “markedly better” against Melbourne than they were during last week’s horror show against the Bulldogs.
He’s right. The Knights were awful in a 32-2 loss last week, but they threw everything at the Storm.
They lead 12-6 after 38 minutes, but the Storm scored two quick tries in 90 seconds before halftime to take the wind out of the Knights’ sails.
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“It was a marked improvement on last week. Even our harshest critics would agree,” he said.
“To score 28 points on Melbourne, you’re doing pretty well… I’m proud of the fighting spirit.
“We did go through a lot, and the opposition will hurt you if you take a breath like they did on halftime, but I thought we were dealt with really harshly. It was a harsh standard across the 80 minutes.
“I don’t know how often you see that last penalty at the end, not very often, it just felt lopsided.
“There are times where we push the envelope and I understand that, but I felt it was a harsh standard.”