The standard of reffing and more so the video ref has been poor this year but last night was not a bad example. I think Powell is off mark there.

I'd also say that coaches who coach their teams to celebrate a try when they know it wasn't, or flap around on the floor when an opponent has a finger on them trying to con the ref for a penalty, or laying on to try and slow the ball down, should not then complain about the ref actually taking their con.
It's a fast game, with one guy in the middle trying to sift through all the antics to find a real decision. Leave them to do their job.

I wonder what would happen if Kendall came out and said if thought Cas were poor last night and that their coaching was substandard?

That's not a bad idea PT - "Mr Kendall - what did you think of tonight's game?" "Well, I'm pretty happy with my performance. I thought the players were disrespectful and milking penalties all over the shop; and that McShane's a dirty get isn't he?"

On Powell - he made 2 statements that were true; Cas can't defend and Saints were great. The final aside about the referee was childish and unnecessary - he let himself down there.

So embarrassing, imagine being a player and then bloke whose meant to be leading your team sulks off like a 3 year old, pathetic.

What he said



I thought the ref had a good game as a nuteral, (I probably would have thought differently with my Red spectacles on however) his only blunder was awarding Cas a try for a clear dropped ball.

I can only asssume Powell and the Cas fans view on the ref started with Ben Barba's perfect try, I'm sure most have changed their view on this now including the bloke in the crowd who was waving his no try arms frantically.

Wonder if DP's outburst on sky will include a visit to the RFL to hand over some pennies ?

I've no issue with fans going OTT.
We all stand at different points in the ground and of course we are going to moan and complain.

But coaches are paid professionals, they get to see multiple replays from different angles and should be able to see that their initial reaction was incorrect and actually it was a good call.

You could easily say I thought we had some tough calls in the first half and then the interviewer can point out that actually most people thought otherwise.
But to be so petulant seems a bit lacking in professionalism, which is a shame because as a coach he is obviously a man with great skills.

He’s clearly furious with what’s going on at Cas on and off the pitch I think, if rumours are right Steve Gill signed a lot of the players that Cas signed whilst Powell was at the World Cup and made the decision to sack Hardaker. If true I can see why he’s annnoyed but last night he took it out on Kendall who I thought was good on the whole and it was embarrassing. It wouldn’t shock me if Wigan try and get him and he goes because he seems massively frustrated and he’s taken Cas as far as is possible.

He should apologise today. You could clearly see on Sky that he was fuming and I mean FUUUUUMMMMMMMINNNNGGGGGG from the moment Barba's try was given. Looked like he wanted to cry for the rest of the game.

He'd do well to show a bit more class. He could learn by copying the likes of Radford or, dare I say it, Shaun Wane.

In fairness though he may be embarrassed by his comments now he's cooled off a bit.

In his press conference after the match with the media he was more detailed and articulate about how crap we were. Really liked his example of hull and how despite a big injury list are showing some real balls. For me that's where he should have started and finished his assesment. He explained (with anger) the decisions he was mad about but I think in the cold light of day his anger needs to purely directed at our soft players.

I'm not having Wane as a good example though! Good grief. The amount of times we've beat Wigan in the last few years and he's blamed the ref for allowing us to play a certain way. Similarly McDermott.


Radford though, fair game.

I wonder if Powell has got an offer from the pies, and his behaviour has confused his way of thinking.

What's he going to be like if Saints hammer them for a 4th time this season

Fair enough if that's your experience of Wane, he's generally been ok when we've beaten them in recent years though. I never mentioned McDermott as he too blames the ref more often than I'd like.

I agree McDermott does comment on officiating more than I'd like but I think he more has a go at the game in general, he often does this even after a win rather than just blaming the ref who reffed that particular game which they lost. (if that makes sense?)

I think with Wane, not sure exactly when but someones clearly been in his ear about what he says and how he says it. He's generally been quite pragmatic and rational recently.

We all want to rationalise it and say that when our own coach does it, it's justified and reasonable - but when any other club coach does it, we consider it unreasonable and inappropriate. The fact is, no Head Coach should be standing in front of a TV camera criticising a referee - there are channels available to them to properly raise concerns, quite aside from the fact that public criticism of match officials is a breach of operational rules.

What decisions was he angered about in the press conference.

don't know why you have brought Mcdermott into this, i can only remember him once being really critical of the ref and that was a catalan away game about 5 years ago. he may have had one or 2 snipes but who as not in fact mcdermott often goes out of his way to not blame the ref.

From what I recall the penalty given against Roberts for his play of the ball with lomax on him (50/50 for me), the Mcmeekan "tip" Where the saints lad ended up on his back (again 50/50 for me) and there was a kick chase where Ellis got flattened by a chaser and nothing given. They could have gone our way they didn't. That said they were 50/50s that didn't go our way and the players need to respond better and not feel sorry for themselves. I dare say Powell ranting about the ref will not fully help the players lose this soft sorry attitude they have when the chips are down. In a competitive RL game you ain't always going to have it your way. Get on with it. Disappointed in Daryl's interview but it is what it is.

I think those are more frustrating incidents rather than controversial, we,ve had similar ones with our Luke Douglas and LMS in playing the ball. It really needs to be stamped out were the opposition are still messing about when the ball is being played.
D.P. would have some justification if there was 6 point margin in the end result then the 50/50 's become more critical, perhaps D.P. like the cas fans have watched the game again and have seen some of the play a bit differently.

Yeah I totally agree. Don't start banging on about small incidents when we've been thumped 40 18 of which flattered us with late points when the cue was well and truly rested.

I watched the game last night on tv and at no point did I feel angered. Perhaps that was because I had the benefit of replays and stuff. Can understand why many assumed swift was a knock on who were there at the time. Fans can boo all they like and blame officials that's what fans do. But Powell is a professional coach.

Exactly fans are going to be one sided and blame all and sundry. No issues with that, pros with the benefit of TV replays should be better.

Maybe he is frustrated at the fact his top players are out and so the team are under performing from what he expected.

Saints played very well...... correct

Our defense resembled 13 drunk men playing the game for the first time...... correct

The referee was rubbish and the standard is pathetic compared to 10 - 20 years ago despite being full
Time and paid more ..... correct.

What’s the problem ???

No, the referee was not rubbish you want him to be to overshadow and deflect from Saints good performance and Cas’ poor one (yes I read your first two sentences). Powell’s exact words were ‘we couldn’t get a decision until the game was gone where we got one or two’. That sums it up for me, sore loser and taking his anger out on the referee. The penalty count was even despite Saints having more ball and Cas had a try incorrectly allowed. Your delusional and completely idiotic if you think the referee was against Cas last night. Cas as a club made themselves look like a laughing stock with the constant moaning about decisions that were correct. Booing after Morgan’s first try summed when Swift was quite clearly not in touch. Pathetic and also sore losers. Learn the rules and shut up would be my advice to Powell and the fans.

With every defeat DPs stock is reducing and he don't like it, hence the dummy spitting.

Saints were great as they have been all year, nobody is trying to deflect from that, at this point they have been far and away the best team, that doesn’t take away from the ref was pathetic and out of his depth FOR BOTH TEAMS !!!! I’d have thought being a saints fan your ego has been massaged enough all year by the sky team but it seems not.

Side note: I (and most other fans I speak to) really don’t care if you or Hull, Leeds, Wigan or Warrington fans think of us, iv been a member on here a long time and up until the last few years all I heard was how it would be great if someone else challenged the status quo and how little Cas were most peoples second team, now we’re tryig to build a winning mentality and are up there we are showing ourselves up as a club, Darryl Powell is the devil and Luke Gale is the most arrogant rugby player ever and last year we only won at home regularly because we our pitch was too small. Funny that isn’t it ? Shove your RL family