WNBL coaches fear "phantom" calls will see star players turn their back on the league as frustrations continue to boil about inconsistent refereeing.
The WNBL is standing firm on its referee education and development policy despite some clubs calling for drastic changes in regards to referee development, feedback and education.
Capitals' Kelsey Griffin. Photo: Sitthixay DitthavongCredit:Sitthixay Ditthavong
Even a Kelsey Griffin masterclass (30 points and 18 rebounds) wasn't enough to help the Canberra Capitals in a controversial 71-65 defeat at the hands of the Perth Lynx at the Bendat Basketball Centre on Saturday.
The travel-weary Capitals struggled to get their shooting radar into gear but their plight wasn't helped by the inconsistent officiating which continues to plague the WNBL.
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Canberra were on the receiving end of a host of questionable calls as they slumped to their second defeat of the season in a clash that suggests the officiating is struggling to keep up with the league's rising standard.
Coaches and players across the league are finding it increasingly difficult to find answers with the run of the foul distribution swinging rapidly throughout games, which some fear will lead to players seeking deals elsewhere.
Basketball Australia officials manager Peter Carey would not be pressed on the standard of the league's officiating but he is adamant the governing body is doing enough to educate its referees.
"Theres always room for improvement. We go into a game as officials knowing were going to make some errors, players make them and we make them," Carey said.
"What we dont want to do is make the catastrophe ones, the phantoms, which nobody sees. If theres the odd error here and there, well accept it, highlight it and show it to [referees].
"Thats up to them to take on board the feedback and make sure we dont have that error creeping into the game in future. Errors are part of it, thats how you learn, thats how you get better.
Kia Nurse has been a star for Canberra.Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong
"The referees officiate the game based on what they see in front of them, we make errors, but theyre not errors based on any bias or anything like that. From that point of view, I dont see too many problems.
"Its hard to compare leagues because the leagues are different and theyre played differently. We certainly officiate to the FIBA principles. Its really difficult to judge league by league."
Capitals coach Paul Goriss says an inconsistent shooting performance was Canberra's Achilles heel and conceded Griffin can't be the lone wolf if they are to challenge for a championship.
A look at the Capitals forward's stat line will show you how good she is, but a glance at the entire box score suggests she needs some teammates to join her in the wolf pack.
"Everyone knows what she can do and thats why we recruited her. Shes a warrior, shes a possession player, she gets after every loose ball. Shell fight, shell rebound, shell defend," Goriss said.
"She cant be the lone wolf, weve got to help her and weve got to have more people stepping up to play with her intensity. We cant just take it as thats what Kelsey does.
"Everyone else has got to be in the pack of wolves, we cant just leave her as the lone wolf."
The travel took an early toll on the Capitals as they struggled to find their feet but a life on the road wasn't the most telling factor in their control.
The one thing that hurt Canberra the most was their shooting – Goriss concedes 32 per cent from the field just isn't going to cut it against the best teams in the league.
"When youre shooting at 22 per cent [from three], youre not going to win too many games," Goriss said.
"The two that hurt us was their points from turnovers and second chance points. If you added up the two, they had 27 points off our turnovers and second chances.
"When its a tight ball game, 71-65, and 27 of those points come off things we could have controlled to some extent, thats the disappointing part."
Caden Helmers is a sports reporter for The Canberra Times
