Rugby league great Brad Fittler says Roosters coach Trent Robinson had no choice but to go public with his criticism of the officials in the aftermath of Latrell Mitchell’s controversial high shot on Joseph Manu.
The Roosters coach and the club were hit with fines totalling $40,000, most of which were in response to Robinson’s post-match spray at the match officials, most pointedly the bunker’s Henry Perenara, for their handling of Mitchell’s high shot that left Manu with a season-ending facial injury.
The NRL acknowledged that the bunker incorrectly handled the incident and responded by standing down Perenara.
Speaking from his experience as a coach, Fittler said Robinson may have felt cornered into speaking out because the only way to guarantee action is by influencing public opinion.
“Sometimes unless you go public, nothing ever happens,” he told Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and The Eighth.
“It seems like public scrutiny and the power of people is your best persuader.”
Earlier this season, Robinson was fined for a post-match spray when he labelled NRL officials “incompetent” after playmaker Drew Hutchison suffered a punctured lung from a controversial sliding tackle involving Eels star Dylan Brown.
Fittler said Robinson’s earlier issues likely built up to what occurred on the weekend.
“It’s a bit sad because I think Trent Robinson at the end of the day, was talking about how a few players over the year – significantly the one when they played Parramatta – the dealings with that game were horrible,” Fittler added.
“He’s using the power of people and sometimes you have to do that because at the end of the day, most of us are now persuaded by public opinion. That seems to do the most damage.”
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