BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

This is a plea to NRL head of football Graham Annesley. Please, please, please, for the love of god, stop apoligising for decisions made by your referees the weekend prior.

It is getting out of hand. An epidemic. Friday night footy tossed up two fantastic games of rugby league. The right team won both games. That should be the end of it.

Yet here some are, totally “outraged” as usual. Rugby league is apparently dead. Some threaten (weekly) they’re switching over to AFL (yeah, right).

Your writer isn’t immune to questioning a decision here or there. But there’s a difference between constructive discussion and outright burning the house down.

In Newcastle, Kalyn Ponga was sin-binned for making illegal contact with the head of Michael Chee-Kam as the Wests Tigers utility was attempting to score a try. Ponga was competing for the ball. Correct. He also hit MCK in the face with his shoulder and knocked him out cold. Chee-Kam was convulsing on the ground.

Under the current rules, the referees got it right by sending Ponga for an early shower.

Whether you like referee Henry Perenara or his style – it doesn’t really matter. He got this one right. The Knights weren’t even winning the match yet some say Newcastle WERE ROBBED!

Captain Mitch Pearce had his Cameron Smith moment when he complained to the referee as Chee-Kam stared into the dark winter sky wondering if he was playing for Wests Tigers or The Beatles.

Knights coach Nathan Brown ripped his team to shreds at the post-match press conference and promised changes to his side. Newcastle were… not… good… enough.

“Maybe some people have thought that it is acceptable not to put the right effort in – I’m not sure,” Brown said.

“We haven’t had a lot of changes in the last four or five weeks that have been forced, but there will certainly be some changes next week that are going to be unforced changes.

“That is 100 percent guaranteed. We have stuck loyal with all the boys this week and it is disappointing.”

We saw an amazing finish down at Homebush between South Sydney and St George Illawarra. The Dragons looked awfully wayward throughout the game until hooker Cameron McInnes charged down a Rabbitohs field goal attempt. McInnes then sprinted fifty metres, beat Souths players to the ball which led to a Gareth Widdop penalty goal to give the Saints the lead.

Then heartbreak.

Souths score in the corner to win it.

Instead of applauding how great our game is, some want to bitch that the final pass to Campbell Graham was forward. Nonsense. The pass was fine.

Dragons ROBBED.

Spare us.

The problem is armchair experts furiously pumping their little fingers on their phones aren’t going to compliment the good. All we end up is seeing is the negativity. It’s everywhere. Give it a rest. You’re killing the game.

Your team sucked?

Nah… ref’s fault.

It’s the next t-shirt waiting to happen.

Accountability is a dirty word.

Does anyone even know how to spell it anymore?

@woodward_curtis

Join Curtis and the Steele Sports on steelesports.com.au team this Saturday from 1pm for the Beer, Footy and Food Festival at Henson Park