Givealittle page to pay Warriors coach Andrew Webster’s fines gets canned

A Givealittle page set up by a Warriors fan to help pay any potential fines imposed on Andrew Webster by the NRL has been scrapped.

The page, which was created on Sunday and titled ‘Cover the cost of Webby’s NRL fine’, was closed around midday Monday. Donations will now either be refunded or given to the I AM HOPE Charity.

A message from Connor Hathaway on the site read: “Hey Everyone, unfortunate to say but we are no longer allowed to donate to The Warriors or Webby so instead I thought would be better to give back to the young kids of New Zealand through the I AM HOPE Charity, if you guys would like a refund instead I will just close down the page so everyone will get their money back.’’

A total of $864 had been raised before the page was shut down. The target was $10,000. Givealittle has confirmed to Stuff it had begun its moderation process on the page but it was then pulled by Hathaway, not Givealittle.

Warriors fans were annoyed about the perceived lack of balance from officials during the Warriors’ 18-6 defeat to the Penrith Panthers in Brisbane on Saturday night.

After the match a frustrated Webster joked to media that if they wanted him to criticise the referees they had to be prepared to pay his fines.

That, in turn, led to Hathaway asking other fans to help pitch in to pay any potential costs for Webster. But that plan has since been scrapped.

Several incidents in the game warranted scrutiny in the aftermath of the defeat, but Webster knows that if he publicly questions the officials he could be liable for a fine by the NRL.

“I get asked this every week, I’m going to take a hat around and get you guys to pay for my fine,” Webster said. “If you all want to chip in, I will give you whatever you want.”

Following the Magic Round game against the Panthers, Webster reacted sharply when asked about referee Todd Smith’s decision to overlook a possible high tackle on captain Tohu Harris from Panthers enforcer Moses Leota.

Webster also questioned whether rookie Demitric Sifakula had struck Nathan Cleary as claimed by the referee when he sent the forward to the sin-bin following a fracas between the teams. Sifakula became the second player sent to the bin after Jackson Ford, for a hip-drop on Spencer Leniu.

“The Demitric one, I feel like his hand is open, like he’s pushing him in the face,” Webster said. “You see Nathan’s face move, but it’s like going to push him and then the next thing he’s in the bin.

“Dallin has got a swollen face and a sore nose. No one has done that on purpose, yet he goes to the HIA and nothing happens. Things like that, I’m not understanding at the moment.”

One NZ CEO Jason Paris, chief executive of the Warriors’ main sponsor, shared Webster’s frustration by questioning the referees’ integrity in several Twitter posts.

“Are you kidding me?” Paris tweeted.

“It’s tough to watch. For the last two weeks we have had players receiving clear & direct shots to the head, it was reviewed and cleared by the bunker.”

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has criticised Paris’ commentary, and confirmed an investigation was underway.

“We will do everything possible to protect our match officials and the game,” Abdo said in a statement provided to AAP.

“Questioning their integrity is completely unacceptable. We are currently exploring all our options and will take whatever steps we believe are necessary to defend them.”

Paris appeared to double down on his comments on Sunday evening after being informed by a Twitter user that the NRL had begun probing him.

“I’d welcome a chat,” he tweeted.

“Anything that leads to a fair and consistent playing field for the Warriors will grow the game even more in NZ.”