‘You guys should get fined for asking’: Trent Robinson comfortable with NRL’s directive for coaches to not criticise referees

A stricter stance on what coaches say about officials after matches has been welcomed by Trent Robinson, with the three-time premiership winning boss at the Roosters open to the idea of commentators also being told to tone down their constant criticism of referees.

A leaked email from NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo to the clubs reminded coaches not to comment on decisions after games given it can lead to unwanted negative media attention and can flow down to grassroots footy.

The email follows the decision to scrap head of football Graham Annesley’s weekly media briefings where he would explain contentious on-field calls.

Coaches were well behaved last year, but Robinson and many of his colleagues have been fined in the past for post-match comments.

The Roosters coach says he knows the right pathway to ask questions from NRL officials and can see why the game wants to crack down on negative coverage.

“We get a good platform post-match, and people do watch that, so I understand we have to be careful in what we say,” he said.

“But commentary is pretty far and wide in our game.

“I think they want to take the emotion and the pressure out of that.

“I think commentary speaks a lot about referees, and we do that a lot in our game more than (other sports).

“I think you can start with the coaches, but we could spread that a bit wider than what we do, rather than just coaches.

“There’s a lot of commentary in the way they broadcast around refereeing and refereeing decisions, so I don’t mind. I’ve got to stay away from it anyway, but I better read up on what I can and can’t say or I just don’t say anything.

“You guys should get fined for asking.”

It will be interesting to see how coaches handle questions about costly decisions in the coming weeks, but Robinson has other things to worry about as he looks ahead to Friday’s showdown with Penrith.

The Roosters haven’t beaten the Panthers since 2019 and are coming off a humbling 50-14 loss to Brisbane in round 1.

Robinson was upbeat after the loss and explained why he doesn’t see this season as being any tougher than previous years despite the Roosters being without so many of their stars.

“People see the result of coaching, but the continual process – whether it’s small things or technical things or tactical things – you’ve got individuals and the team, and it’s the joy of seeing the group move from one point to the next,” he said.

“You coach them all week and they coach themselves, and then (it’s a case of) let’s go again.

“Human nature, how we adapt and improve is the exciting part.

“I don’t like to project that (it’s going to be a harder season). You’ve got to be honest about where you’re at right now, but then you don’t project what the future is going to look like and say it’s going to be difficult.

“We’ll improve each month – I know that – so when you’re coaching towards that, you don’t want to label the next six months as something. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.

“You want to improve the team and stay positive.”