'Soft penalty to decide such a big game': Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur takes aim at officials after controversial play-off defeat
Brad Arthur hit out at the "soft penalty" that ultimately ended Leeds Rhinos' hopes of reaching the Super League Grand Final.
The Rhinos boss felt their season deserved to be decided by a moment of magic rather than a contentious call from the officials as Warrington Wolves edged a dramatic semi-final at Headingley.
Arthur was left with mixed emotions after a difficult fortnight that saw Leeds lose key personnel to injury, forcing him to dig deep into his squad.
"I haven't whinged or complained the whole time I've been here," he said.
"I'm extremely proud of our team, our club and the players. The last two weeks have been really disjointed. You could see that even before kick-off when Chank (Chris Hankinson) went down.
"I was extremely proud of our effort tonight. I don’t know what more we could have done.
"We got a couple of bits and pieces wrong but it would have been really nice if the game had been decided by an individual with a piece of skill instead of a soft penalty – because it's a soft penalty.
"Ned (McCormack) got escorted four or five times and I wasn’t expecting penalties. That is a soft penalty to decide such a big game.
"It was a fantastic game to watch. It would have been great if a team decided it."
Leeds appeared well set for a first Super League trophy since 2017 heading into the closing weeks of the season, only to lose the League Leaders' Shield decider to Wigan Warriors in a run of three straight home defeats.
The Rhinos then lost Ash Handley, Jack Bird, Maika Sivo and Hankinson during a disastrous week off, yet still managed to run a full-strength Warrington close in a gripping contest.
"We could sit here and feel sorry for ourselves but I'm just proud of the boys," added Arthur.
"They worked really hard tonight. They didn't give in, fought hard, kept believing and showed plenty of character.
"They're good signs for the club moving forward. We had some young guys out there and they stood up and did their jobs.
"For me, there's nothing but positives. I know we haven't got the results in the last couple of games at home but our fans have stuck solid and supported us. That's what we need.
"I certainly believe the club is heading in the right direction. I feel like we've shown that.
"A Grand Final appearance probably should have been the minimum for us given what we've done through the year – but I don't know if we could have done much more tonight."