REFEREES in rugby league have been under the microscope of late, but interim head coach Lee Greenwood insists he will not be focusing on them.

Officials in academy games are already having to get used to the ‘no tackling above the armpit’ trial, while controversial decisions have marred Bulls’ last two Betfred Championship games against Widnes and Whitehaven.

Connor Wynne being penalised for a knock-on by referee Nick Bennett last Sunday, when he had put the ball down after injuring his shoulder, outraged many in the crowd, and other highly-debatable decisions, ranging from offsides, knock-ons and disallowed tries occurred throughout the 80 minutes.

At one point, poor Bennett was being booed by all four sides of the ground up in Cumbria, and the man in the middle threatened to be the main story at the break, until Bulls pulled away emphatically in the second half.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Connor Wynne's debut against Keighley went superbly, but he went off injured against both Widnes and Whitehaven.Connor Wynne's debut against Keighley went superbly, but he went off injured against both Widnes and Whitehaven. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Asked if his players were distracted by the calls against them early on, Greenwood insisted: “That would completely deflect from what was a poor first half from us.

“If anyone comes out talking about the ref, what they’re really saying is our performance wasn’t good enough.

“Nobody talked about him from our side in the second half, because we took control of the performance.

“If the ref gives something, it’s because he’s seen it.

“Even if it might not be 100 per cent correct, he’s seen something, so you’ve allowed the debate for him to make a decision.

“If a tackle is around the neck area, and he gives a high shot, it’s your fault for going too high.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Dec Patton bounced back to score a lovely try, but he was yellow carded in the first half for a high tackle, like Lee Gaskell six days earlier.Dec Patton bounced back to score a lovely try, but he was yellow carded in the first half for a high tackle, like Lee Gaskell six days earlier. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Greenwood added: “We have to control what we can, and we can’t control what the referee gives, other than staying within the laws of the game.

“We weren’t good enough at Widnes, so to come off and blame the referee would have been foolish, and to do the same at half-time against Whitehaven would also have been foolish.

“We have to look after our own performance, then the referee’s not even in the equation.”