Sharks Coach Blames Ref for Panthers Loss

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon acknowledged that Penrith convincingly outplayed his team in a 26-6 defeat, stating it served as a significant reality check. Despite admitting the better side won, Fitzgibbon highlighted two specific first-half referee decisions that he believes were suspect and impacted the game's balance.

Fitzgibbon cited a potential knock-on by Penrith's Tom Jenkins that was ruled play, leading to an early try, and a penalty against Jesse Ramien. He suggested these calls, particularly when the score was close at 6-0, were disadvantageous. The Sharks coach expressed disappointment in his team's lack of clinical execution compared to Penrith's assertiveness, noting their attack lacked potency, a stark contrast to their previous dominant performance.