Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is a role model for the game for the way he reacted to the refereeing blunder that cost his team a shot at the NRL premiership.
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Outgoing ARL chairman Peter Beattie understood how Raiders fans felt about the controversy that surrounded the Sydney Roosters' 14-8 victory at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday night.
But he said the referees got the decision right - eventually.
It all came about when referee Ben Cummins incorrectly called six again following a contested kick, only to then change his decision.
Clive Churchill Medallist Jack Wighton didn't hear the changed call and was shocked when forced to hand the ball back to the Roosters - when he had ample opportunity to kick if he had known.
The Roosters went up the other end and scored the winning try on the very next set.
Stuart refused to discuss the error, preferring to congratulate the Roosters on the win.
His stance drew praise from Beattie, who described him as a "class act".
"I have enormous amount of sympathy for Canberra fans and obviously they let me know their views overnight. I saw it online and in social media," Beattie said on Sky News.
"The reality is the decision was right, as Graham Annesley - the head of football - has pointed out.
"So they got it right and I understand the controversy and I understand how Canberra fans feel about it.
"We shouldn't forget the fact that the Roosters and Trent Robinson have done a magnificent job in winning back-to-back [premierships] and Ricky Stuart, the coach of the Raiders, what a class act.
"He took it on the chin, he congratulated the referees. I think what Ricky Stuart did was a role model for the game."
Beattie said their annual review would look into refereeing after a number of errors throughout the season - including the grand final blunder.
But he felt in general the game was in great health as he prepares to hand over the chair to the incoming Peter V'landys.
"I would never be a referee. There are a lot of things you do in life that make you unpopular - being in government's one - but there's one thing I wouldn't be and that is a referee," he said.
"You know how tough that is. The referees don't go out there to make a mistake.
"At the end of each year we do a review. We have a look at the game. We have a look at the rules.
"We have a look at the performance of everybody - including referees - so that will happen at the end of this year.
"But frankly we've had a great season. Record numbers of viewers, record numbers of people attending the game and so on. But you could always do better."
Part of that great season were the Raiders fans.
Beattie said they'd helped create an amazing atmosphere at a sold-out Sydney Olympic Park, with 82,922 fans cramming in for the Green Machine's first grand final in 25 years.
They turned Canberra green - sausages, bread and landmarks - before turning Sydney a similar shade as well.
The biggest Viking clap Australia has seen provided a unique atmosphere for the start of what proved to be a cliffhanger of a decider.
Beattie said he'd never seen so much excitement in the capital since the last election. Indeed.
"As chairman you're neutral of course, but it was great for the game because there was this Green Machine that came down the Hume Highway from Canberra," Beattie said.
"There's never been so much excitement in Canberra since the last general election. Probably more than that.
"From our point of view we had Canberra there and of course the Roosters, who were trying to go back to back.
"It was just two wonderful teams. It was always going to be a close competition. The fans got their money's worth. There was almost 83,000 of them there, the biggest sellout in years."