HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS head coach Luke Robinson has called for whichever referee gets his side’s fixture against Castleford Tigers on Thursday night remains neutral following Danny McGuire’s comments.
McGuire went in on the display of referee Tom Grant and video official Aaron Moore in the Tigers’ 26-20 loss to Wigan Warriors last weekend.
For his comments, McGuire is being investigated and now Robinson is hopeful that McGuire’s outburst will not sway any decisions.
“I’m hoping that the referees don’t get riled up and actually go against us because we’ve had some difficult calls ourselves this season,” Robinson said.
“It’s very difficult as a coach because sometimes you feel like things aren’t going your way and some of the other sides seem to get a rub of the green so it can become frustrating.
“We had zero penalties once again at half-time, I think that’s two or three times it’s happened this year and it was spoken about a lot in the State of Origin with New South Wales and how it was unheard of for a side not to get a penalty.
“Well, come and watch Huddersfield Giants because it’s happened a few times this year.”
Robinson also pleaded for whichever official is in the middle on Thursday to be neutral.
“You’d like to think it’s not swayed any which way whether there’s been an outburst or not. You just want everything to be fair and equal but you don’t always get that when you go away which is human with fans being on your back, it can feel like you can get swayed.
“I think there’s always a little bit of unconscious bias but it’s also about where you sit (in the table) as well.
“When you’re physically more dominant than another side and playing with confidence then inevitably it does make a difference.
“We can only concentrate on ourselves and what we can control so it’s about getting our game right.”