Dyldam Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur has given a frank assessment of his side’s narrow 21-18 loss to the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium on Monday night.
While he was uncertain about the application of the obstruction rule during the game, he was clear that the referees weren’t the reason for the final scoreline.
“We had enough opportunities to win that game and we didn’t do it,” Arthur told the media after the match.
“I think at times we were looking for a quick fix, a quick way to win the game, but at the end of the day we needed to be better to win the game.
“We scored 4 tries, they scored 2 tries off our errors. We need to learn how to close the game out.”
When it came to a disallowed try to centre Will Hopoate, denied for an obstruction on Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks, Arthur was less confident, admitting the ruling didn’t match his view of the play.
“The rule is you’ve got to get back to the inside shoulder,” Arthur said.
“And that’s what Dave Gower did [in the lead up to the try]. I don’t know what an obstruction is any more.”
Co-captain Jarryd Hayne echoed his Head Coach in calling for clarity around the obstruction rule, regardless of the result in Round 7.
“The players, the fans, the coaches just want consistency,” Hayne said.
“It’s as simple as that.”
“[The result]’s disappointing, but for us we clearly weren’t there today.”
