‘I’d say it all again’: Robinson not backing down from bunker spray

Roosters coach Trent Robinson said he would deliver the exact same comments if he had the chance to go back to last Friday night’s press conference, declaring “we felt there was an injustice and we reacted towards that”.

The Roosters were fined $40,000 for their reaction to incidents during the fiery loss to arch rivals South Sydney, which included Latrell Mitchell’s sickening collision on Joseph Manu that ended both players’ seasons.

Robinson was fined for $20,000 for his comments and a suspended fine of $10,000 from earlier in the year was activated, while the club copped a further $10,000 over the alleged abuse of sideline officials. The NRL is still investigating whether forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was involved in an altercation with a Nine cameraman.

Robinson conceded that the club could have handled aspects of the situation differently but didn’t shy away from his initial costly comments.

“Obviously I accepted the breach for myself and the club the other day, so I understand that,” Robinson said in a press conference before Thursday’s clash with Canberra. “The stuff that I said in the game, I stand by what I said in that game post-match and my views on that.

“I also understand the NRL has to act on some things that I said and that’s the balance of our game, I’m going to give my opinion on that.”

Roosters coach Trent Robinson at his post match press conference which cost him $30,000 in fines.Credit:Getty

The NRL dropped bunker official Henry Perenara for not sending Mitchell off, but still hit Robinson in the hip pocket for his pointed comments. Asked if he was slighted given the NRL ultimately dropped Perenara, the premiership-winning coach said: “No, I don’t think so.

“We note that we need to be better in that area.

“We felt there was an injustice and we reacted towards that. I understand we need to be better as well. I don’t feel slighted, opinions are always going to be mixed. There were a lot of things I was proud of in the way we handled things, and there’s also some lessons there.

“It’s happened but let’s go, let’s keep moving forward. Naturally, people want to swing it a certain way but nobody wins in these situations.

“I fully understand where the fine comes from, I know there was language you can’t use.

“But I would sit in there and deliver the same post-match press conference that I delivered and that doesn’t mean any disrespect to the NRL. I understand their decision, but they also have to understand my position. And I stand behind that.”

Mitchell has been heavily criticised for not showing care to Manu after breaking his cheekbone, but Robinson predicted the former teammates would mend their friendship.

“They will be fine. What happens on the field, I know Joey and Latrell and of course it will be mended. The way people have reacted towards Latrell has been way too much as well.

“Joey was injured, it wasn’t the incident we wanted, but they will mend their fences and so should everyone else.

“Let’s move on.”

Robinson spoke with Phil Gould on Saturday morning after taking umbrage at the Nine commentator’s comments during the match.

“When I opened my phone I had a missed call from Trent Robinson and I called him back,” Gould told the Six Tackles with Gus podcast.

“When he answered the phone, I said ‘Are you going to have a go at me, are you?’

“He said I just want to get my point across. I said that’s fine, he sort of talked and talked and talked, we discussed the issues, discussed tackle techniques and were discussing bunkers and referees and discussing injuries and all sorts of things. Then his phone dropped out . . . we had a longer discussion the second time and it was all very civil.

“I understand he was emotional and he was worried about Joey and there were other aspects he discussed, and with the Roosters it tends to be that they don’t feel they get a fair go, they don’t get the same sort of treatment.

“And all that is the highly emotional stuff. And having been a part of that club for a long time I get it, I understand it.

“So we ended up with a lot of mutual ground but he was kind of disappointed that I’d taken the stance that I had or that I’d taken the view that I had.”

Asked if the Roosters felt there was “intent” from Mitchell, Gould said: “I think that is now obvious.

“I fail to see that. I fail to see that one player would deliberately do this to another. When you think about it, why would Latrell do that? Why would Latrell suddenly say ‘alright, I don’t want to play finals football. I’m happy to be suspended, I’m going to knock this bloke out . . . this is my chance and I’ll take it here on national TV in front of 11 cameras . . . and no one will see it’.

“You mean to tell me there are thoughts going through his head that this is deliberate? That is such a ridiculous and childish notion, that there would be anything deliberate about it. As I said to Trent, with his tackling style and his aggression, he was coached at the Roosters for a long, long time.

“If it’s someone’s responsibility to coach it out of him, who coached it into him?”

Roosters chairman Nick Politis told the Roosters Radio podcast that he had “tears in my eyes” watching Manu’s face swell up after the incident.

“He is positive and putting it behind him and looking forward to next year,” Politis said. “He is such a wonderful guy. [The tackle] wasn’t necessary.”

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