Knights coach Nathan Brown demonstrated impressive restraint after an incorrect and crucial try ruling against his team in a close 18-14 loss to Manly at Lottoland on Friday night, instead insisting his team needed to get better at not giving opponents those kinds of attacking opportunities.
Referees boss Tony Archer has confirmed it was a mistake from the Bunker to advise lead referee Ashley Klein to award the 59th minute try despite the touch judge asking the Bunker to adjudicate the play.
But Brown said he could sympathise with the officials despite feeling his 16th-placed squad is struggling to receive contentious calls.
"We've had a fair few this year where in the heat of battle we've had a few tough ones but that's where we are and that's why we sit on the table where we are," Brown said after the game.
"Whether it's our fault sometimes or some tough calls or we don't respond well, we don't quite get there.
"I'm probably spending more time worrying about how we can get over the line [to win games] rather than just fall short.
"With our younger players, we've got so many first- and second-year players that I think everyone would agree they're certainly hanging in and competing really, really hard so I'm getting really proud of them in a lot of ways, but there's some areas where we had certain individuals come up with some plays which helped us be under too much pressure which had us camped on our line so I'm putting all my energy into that bit there.
"Refereeing is a tough job and I'm sure Tony Archer will probably talk to [the referees] about it and he's probably going through similar stuff to what I'll go through. We're all doing our bit to try and get it right and sometimes we don't."
Brown said the 50-50 calls don't seem to fall your way while you're not winning games.
"[When] players learn how to win a little bit more, then the rub of the green tends to go your way," he said.
"The key for us as a club is to work out what we can do better and not focus on necessarily what the referees are doing.
"There were reasons why we were down on our line too much [on Friday] which we've got to get better at so if we can do that a little bit better and get up the other end – we got up there in the second half once and got over and got back in the game so we need to focus harder in that area."
Brown did get a bit of sympathy from rival coach and former teammate Trent Barrett.
"We were lucky. Some weeks you get [those calls]," Barrett said of the Uate try, which was "obviously" dropped.
"Normally they do [check those]. We'll get one one day then you miss it the next. I'd understand Browny would be very frustrated by it."
