"The penalties were 5-1 in the second half, and I've got to say when we went to Melbourne and we came to Manly that the referees come here thinking, 'Well, Souths aren't going to beat Manly, or Souths aren't going to beat Melbourne', because that's not how it's supposed to go'," Taylor said. "I just feel like we're getting a tough deal at the moment. I need to talk to [referees boss Robert Finch] about where we're at" (Taylor said)
Taylor's team, meanwhile, once again defended stoically but lacked cohesion against the most miserly defence in the game. The penalty count against them didn't help, nor did referee Steve Clark's decision to rule Ben Rogers's ball to David Fa'alogo forward after 22 minutes.
Replays suggested he was slightly quick on the trigger.
"We got across in the first half," Taylor said. "But it got ruled a forward pass. In my opinion, it was a fair try. On a night like this, those little ones are enormously important."
His second-rower agreed. "I think it was a flat ball," Fa'alogo said. "I thought it was sweet, mate. They're the sort of calls we're not getting, and they're pretty crucial."
Manly coach Des Hasler had some sympathy for Taylor. "Welcome to first-grade football. I know how he feels," he said. "I've been there and done it."
