Huddersfield coach Jon Sharp blasted referee Phil Bentham for his performance during their dramatic 20-19 loss against Wigan.
Giants boss hits out at referee during dramatic defeat by Wigan.
Huddersfield coach Jon Sharp blasted referee Phil Bentham for his performance during their dramatic 20-19 loss against Wigan.
Wigan scored two late tries inside the final four minutes which gave them a one-point lead after trailing by 19-8 when Kevin Brown hit a 74th-minute drop-goal.
Sharp did not complain about Wigan's late tries, but thought Bentham's performance before that left a lot to be desired.
Referee Bentham penalised the Giants for offside from the kick-off and awarded Wigan seven penalties in the first 17 minutes.
Huddersfield's misery was compounded when prop Darrell Griffin was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.
"I believe an absolute injustice has occurred," fumed Sharp.
"It started in minute one and finished in the 80th. I just feel really disappointed with a number of issues which surround the officiating of the game.
"Darrell's red card is probably a reflection of his frustration that epitomised the group's feelings.
"The majority of the penalties were penalties, and I'll be speaking to my team about discipline and about how we handled those closing stages of the game.
"But the inconsistency of the officiating in this game was absolutely appalling.
"We're very proud of our discipline, but the rules changed. I saw some decisions that were correct but I wouldn't have minded them that way for 80 minutes for both sides."
Sharp praised teenage full-back Leroy Cudjoe, who kicked five out of five on his debut as he stood in for the injured Chris Thorman.
"Leroy has been fantastic in the reserves," said Sharp.
"He made a great couple of plays for us. He came up with a fantastic tackle near our try-line, and some of his 'carries' were excellent.
"I thought he struck the ball really well, and he looks comfortable at this level."
Wigan boss Brian Noble insisted he never gave up hope of rescuing the game despite trailing by 11 points with just seven minutes to go.
"You are never out of the game with two scores in it," he said.
"You can score two tries in two sets. You just have to keep playing.
"We started the second half really slowly, but it's testament to our patience that we came back to win.
"I thought we were the better team in the first half and 'bombed' a couple of tries. People will remember the last five minutes - but you have got to look at the whole game."
