We are two weeks out from the grand final and there is no hiding from the fact the NRL has a refereeing crisis it can no longer ignore.

There is absolutely no condoning the shocking scenes at Eden Park on Sunday, when Warriors fans hurled projectiles at Ashley Klein and his fellow match officials after fulltime.

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But the sad reality is there is so much frustration boiling over right now, not just among fans but leading players and coaches, that the game has become a ticking timebomb.

In recent weeks, the likes of Wayne Bennett, Ivan and Nathan Cleary, Harry Grant, Cameron McInnes, Tom Dearden, Craig Fitzgibbon and Trent Robinson have all expressed their confusion over contentious refereeing decisions.

And Andrew Webster was well within his rights to question some of the calls that went against the Warriors late in Sunday’s heartbreaking 12-10 loss that sent Newcastle through to the prelim final.

It is such a shame an incredibly brave victory from last year’s wooden spooners, in front of a sold-out Warriors crowd, has been overshadowed by this ugly controversy.

But there is no escaping the fact the Warriors were dudded.

Especially when Klein failed to award a penalty in front of the posts after Leka Halasima was bumped off the ball by Tyson Frizell, which would have given the Warriors the chance to send the game into extra time.

Only minutes earlier, Te Maire Martin was penalised for stripping the ball from Greg Marzhew when it looked for all money like a loose carry.

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Wahs fans pelt refs with bottles | 00:09

The fingertip touch from Ali Leiataua that negated the Marzhew dropped ball I can cop.

Not that the Knights couldn’t have had their own whinge after Leiataua escaped the sin bin for a high shot on Kalyn Ponga early in the game.

Then on Saturday night, Daly Cherry-Evans also somehow avoided the sin bin for a blatant trip at a crucial stage when Cronulla was still in the contest.

A week earlier, Robinson was rightly questioning why the Roosters weren’t awarded a potentially game-defining penalty under the sticks for a crusher tackle on Hugo Savala.

Yet Billy Smith was penalised for a supposed high shot on Mitch Kenny that fair dinkum wouldn’t have bruised a grape.

That followed Bennett blowing a gasket over the bunker after Souths’ controversial finals exit, with the contentious no-try ruling against Alex Johnston a huge turning point in that game.

And only a few weeks back, Ivan and Nathan Cleary were left fuming over what they described as a “ridiculous” bunker call involving Tom Jenkins when contesting a ball in the air against Jacob Kiraz.

When you have two of the most respected and successful people in the game clearly not knowing the rules, surely that is a concern for everyone?

Bunker drama: 3 controversial calls! | 01:23

Which brings us to the common thread in all these complaints, this overriding confusion over the lack of consistency in how the rules are being interpreted.

When Peter V’landys came into power in 2019, one of the first things he spoke about was the need to improve the refereeing.

V’landys said at the time: “Being from the racing industry there’s one thing that I’ve learnt, it’s that punters or fans don’t like to be ripped off. You can’t have them walk away thinking that they’ve been ripped off.

“We need to fix our systems and do whatever we can so that the fan walks away happy and content that he’s had a fair crack, and not walk away thinking that he’s been ripped off.”

Yet here we are, seven years after the Raiders were robbed by that infamous “six again” call in the 2019 grand final, and it feels like we are right back where we started.

While there is never an excuse for fans to take their frustration out on referees, there is also no excuse for the NRL to keep ignoring the confusion and inconsistency that is driving so much of this frustration.

Holbrook dismisses bunker controversy | 08:25

55 REASONS WHY KNIGHTS’ UNSUGN HERO DESERVES AS MUCH PRAISE AS PONGA

Like I mentioned, it is such a shame Newcastle’s brave performance was overshadowed by the controversy.

Because that was as gutsy as it gets.

And let’s not forget the Knights had to overcome their own share of adversity when it came to some contentious calls.

On three occasions they were forced to go to the captain’s challenge and luckily came up trumps.

There was also the failure to sin bin Leiataua for his high shot on Ponga.

And while the Knights had heroes across the park, with Ponga and Fletcher Sharpe leading the charge in attack, no one was more inspirational than their workaholic dummy half Phoenix Crossland.

Crossland finished with a phenomenal 55 tackles, throwing himself at everything that moved and diving on loose balls with absolutely no regard for his own safety.

Hardly anyone will give the Knights a chance of upsetting the Panthers this Sunday.

But one thing you can be certain of is they won’t go down without one hell of a fight.

And regardless of what happens from here, the job Justin Holbrook has done to reinvent this team in just one season in charge also deserves enormous credit.

Ponga emotional post-game after Wahs win | 02:13

WARRIORS HALVES IN THE LINE OF FIRE

It is hard to fathom how one of the most brilliant attacking teams of the season could manage just three tries in two finals appearances.

And if not for the returning Leka Halasima, who finished with a double, it would have been even worse.

Understandably, much of the criticism will fall on halves Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita, who failed to grab either game by the scruff of the neck.

The Warriors’ halves were rightfully praised throughout the season.

But when it mattered most, there is simply no argument they played too conservatively and simply couldn’t take their game to the next level.

In fairness, losing Tanah Boyd and having Luke Metcalf unavailable certainly didn’t help their cause.

But while the Warriors deserve enormous credit for what they achieved this season, going out in straight sets was a bitterly disappointing way to finish.

NOW NOT THE TIME FOR DCE TO TAKE A BOW

How could you not marvel at the mental strength it must have taken Daly Cherry-Evans to block out the noise and respond the way DCE did against the Sharks on Saturday night?

Coming off the loss to the Panthers, where the veteran playmaker failed to ice the big moments, the tension and pressure was written all over his face as DCE followed James Tedesco through the waiting crowd onto Allianz Stadium.

You could see that he was doing his best to smile and look composed as he clapped hands with fans.

But even that looked uneasy for a 37-year-old who has played the second most NRL games in history behind only Cameron Smith.

Yet from the opening exchanges, DCE was right on his game.

The way he calmly picked the right option to send Lindsay Collins crashing over for the first try, scored one himself with a clever show and go, and finished with two more try assists.

By any measure, it was a halfback masterclass in sudden death footy.

What made it even better is that he delivered it knowing full well that if he failed to aim up, the knives would have been out.

“DCE was our leader out there tonight” | 06:22

That said, now is not the time for DCE to be taking a bow.

Because if you thought the pressure was off following this man-of-the-match performance, think again.

As impressive as the Roosters were in running in eight tries to two, the result was effectively a foregone conclusion the moment Salesi Foketi steamrolled Nicho Hynes in the opening exchanges.

And while Cherry-Evans was magnificent, the Dolphins are a different proposition.

They simply have strike across the park the Sharks couldn’t match.

And don’t forget the Roosters were already trailing the Dolphins 26-6 when Sam Walker went down with his ankle injury approaching the midway point of the second half back in round 26.

Walker’s likely return will be a massive boost, and no doubt will take some pressure off Cherry-Evans.

But there can be no excuses either way.

When DCE signed with the Roosters, no one was talking about making a prelim as the pass mark.

A MATCH-UP MADE IN RUGBY LEAGUE HEAVEN

It will be a match-up made in rugby league heaven when Mark Nawaqanitawase and Rob Toia go head-to-head with Selwyn Cobbo and Herbie Farnworth.

Marky Mark was at his magical best against the Sharks.

For much of the match it looked like opportunities weren’t going to come his way.

But that flick pass that helped set up Connor Watson’s try got the ball rolling, before he finished with a double and ran for a game-high 159 metres.

Toia, meanwhile, picked himself up after that brutal shot from Ronaldo Mulitalo early in the second half to play a huge role.

He had a hand in a couple of tries, scored himself, and defused multiple raids with outstanding defence as well as his ability under the high ball.

But let’s not forget it was Selwyn and Herbie who came out on top when these sides met recently.

Whoever wins the battle on that edge this week will go a long way towards deciding who makes the grand final.

NOT YET 21, ALREADY ONE OF GAME’S MOST FEARED PLAYERS

Something tells me we can expect more fireworks on Friday night, and it won’t necessarily be Spencer Leniu in the thick of it.

The last time Salesi Foketi played the Dolphins, he came up with a similar barnstorming charge to the one that knocked Nicho out of Saturday night’s game.

That was when Foketi bulldozed Isaiya Katoa on his way to a late try.

It also led to a heated verbal exchange with several Dolphins players when Foketi turned back and gave them a gobful.

It’s just outrageous to think this bloke doesn’t turn 21 until November.

Meanwhile, Leka Halasima is the same age with his 21st birthday coming later this month.

Yet you won’t see many more intimidating/inspirational performances from a forward of any age than what we saw from these two young powerhouses over the course of the weekend.

Fitz reflects on another finals miss | 05:57

WHAT FITZY NEEDS TO DO TO FIX SHARKS

As for the Sharks, now is not the time to put the boot in.

And I thought Craig Fitzgibbon was incredibly classy in the way he defended his team after the match.

Fitzy was right to point out the Sharks had made the previous two prelim finals, while only Penrith and Brisbane have won premierships in the past five years.

But when you look at what has separated the Panthers and Broncos from the rest, it comes down to individual superstars.

Penrith have Nathan Cleary.

Brisbane have Reece Walsh.

The Sharks simply don’t have a player of that calibre who can turn a big game.

That’s the reality Fitzy cannot ignore.

While a few players are moving on, I’m still not convinced much will change next year without a serious shake-up in the key positions.

It certainly wasn’t Nicho’s fault this time given he was knocked out of the game.

But that surely doesn’t stop Cronulla from having some tough conversations internally about where they go from here.

No doubt their consistency reaching the finals in recent years is something other clubs would kill for.

Yet the Sharks have reached a point where making the finals is no longer good enough.

And I’m not convinced simply switching Braydon Trindall into the No 7 jumper and moving Nicho to five-eighth is going to solve their problems.