SEN's Cameron Smith has advised Sydney Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves to not argue with the referee for the betterment of his team.
The 33-year-old veteran was sin-binned in the Roosters’ 32-12 loss to Penrith after he argued and swore at referee Gerard Sutton in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Smith said that it was the informal manner in which Waerea-Hargreaves spoke to Sutton that landed him in trouble and warned the rest of the competition about proper behaviour.
“It may be, ‘bro’, as I don’t think it’s the expletives,” Smith said on SEN 1170 Breakfast when asked what Waerea-Hargreaves was binned for.
“Gerard may have taken exception to being called, ‘bro’.
“That’s why he sent Jared to the sin bin.
“I think Jared was just a little bit frustrated and being targeted by the referees.
“Trent Robinson mentioned after the game that the best thing for Jared will just be to worry about footy.
“Don’t even think about being targeted because I don’t think they are.
“Referees can’t go into the game targeting players.”
After 11 weeks, referees have issued 43 sin bins and three send-offs and have clamped down on high tackles and reckless behaviour.
Smith said that on the one occasion he spoke back to a referee, he was sent to the sin bin.
“I got sent to the bin twice in my career and once for talking back to the referee,” he said.
“There were no expletives in my conversation (to the ref) and I didn’t refer to him as ‘bro’.
“I was still sent to the bin.”
Waerea-Hargreaves and the Sydney Roosters will look to bounce back against the Cronulla Sharks on May 28.