Holbrook admits NRL rant was ill-advised

Ed Jackson | March 18, 2022

Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook admits a post-game press conference wasn’t the forum to air his grievances about refereeing following a four-point NRL loss to Parramatta.

Holbrook claimed the Titans were not being given 50-50 calls against the Eels due to “not being one of the big clubs” after his team were on the end of a 7-1 penalty count against them in the 32-28 loss at Commbank Stadium.

The Titans’ coach has been spoken to by the club and the NRL for his comments and he concedes he should have made his complaints in a less public fashion.

“I don’t think I need to discuss it then, that’s probably what I’ll say,” Holbrook said.

“I don’t feel I was wrong. That’s why I said it. I said, my exact words were, ‘I’m being honest here’.

“But it’s not the right forum … it doesn’t look good for the game and it doesn’t look good for us.”

Having since had the chance to review the defeat, Holbrook says his own team’s performance needs to improve more than anything if they are to get results.

“When you calm down, you watch the game back and we made like nine errors in a row in the second half and we just kept inviting them back in whether they got penalties or not out of it,” he said.

“If we were to play better it wouldn’t come down to that.

“I don’t want to be a coach that’s looking for excuses because it gives my players an out.

“If we play better and start beating those big sides, that’s how we’re going to earn credibility, not through me complaining.”