REFEREES' boss Bill Harrigan has labelled the call to award Warriors centre Krisnan Inu the match-winning try against Wests Tigers as an ''outstanding decision''.
Video referees Paul Simpkins and Tim Mander ruled in favour of the visitors at the SFS on Friday night after Chris Lawrence and Lote Tuqiri were unable to defuse a bomb from Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson.
Former Kiwi three-quarter Inu, called in to the side to cover for the injured Joel Moon, found the line on the second attempt. The green light was given after it was deemed Inu was not held in the initial tackle.
''Great decision,'' Harrigan said yesterday. ''There were no hands on him when he makes his second lunge, so he's entitled to lunge. The only way to stop him then is to tackle him, not just putting your hand on him. Once he's in the middle of the lunge, if you put a hand on him, it doesn't matter because he's already moving.
''I was in the box next to the video box and I walked in there and said 'outstanding decision'. I was listening to them, the way they went through their processes, and it was an outstanding decision under big pressure,'' Harrigan said.
There was a suggestion the referee blew his whistle before Inu planted the ball on the line but Harrigan claimed the act was ''simultaneous'', making it a fair try. The call effectively decided the game, but Warriors coach Ivan Cleary was unhappy with the performance of the officials.
Penrith-bound Cleary described the 9-4 penalty count against his team as ''horrendously lopsided'' and indicated he would seek a meeting with Harrigan to air his concerns.
Harrigan was reluctant to comment at length on the overall performance of the officials until he had completed a full review of the game. However, the former whistleblower conceded a crucial penalty against Warriors captain Micheal Luck for stripping was incorrect.
''There's a few little issues that I need to check … a couple of strips,'' he said. ''There were a couple of times I thought there could have been a penalty against the Tigers [for inside] the 10 metres … but I want to do a debrief before I make too many comments.''
Warriors fullback Kevin Locke was correctly penalised for what Harrigan called ''a deadset missile'' tackle and could face a low-grade judiciary charge. But it's likely he'll be free to take his place for Saturday night's clash with Melbourne at AAMI Park.
Inu, who had been relegated to the Auckland Vulcans after displaying mixed form since crossing the Tasman, had feared he would not return to the NRL side. ''At one point I did,'' he said. ''I think the boys were going well and you can't change what's been going well, so I was lucky enough to get my shot.''
The Warriors, one of just two teams to beat the Storm this year on their home patch, will be $2.75 outsiders, based on TAB Sportsbet. But any side containing the likes of Manu Vatuvei, James Maloney, Johnson, Locke and Inu should not be underestimated.
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