Roosters coach Trent Robinson has argued that Victor Radley's early sin bin against the Rabbitohs set the precedent for a wild elimination final.
The match - which the Tricolours lost 30-14 - featured seven sin bins and five HIAs, with Radley and Taane Milne both given their marching orders on two separate occasions.
Understandably, the Roosters coach struggled to summarise the game in his post-match press conference.
"Where do I start?" Robinson said.
"It was chaotic. It sort of descended into a non-rugby league game.
"In the end, it got to the point where it was so stop-start, and [that's] not what we really want to see in our game.
"There were footy periods, and [it was about] who was going to execute their opportunities, and [South Sydney] did that better than us.
"So I think, as a spectacle, it would have been interesting and different. [But] the footy moments were won by Souths."
Match Highlights - #NRLRoostersSouths #NRLFinals 🎥
— NRL (@NRL) September 11, 2022
The Rabbitohs knocked the Roosters out of #NRLFinals in one of the most chaotic matches you'll ever see! pic.twitter.com/S5t93YX2ba
Robinson then went on to question the decision to sin bin Radley in the fourth minute, with the Roosters lock deemed to have punched Milne when the pair grappled on the ground.
According to the 45-year-old coach, the incident could have been ignored, which would have consequently led to fewer dismissals.
"The tone was set [with the Radley incident] and then the incidents that were going to [be deemed a sin bin offence] after that period were set," he said.
"So that's the way that it was. It was an incident that obviously could have been played on from as well. They just could have broken it up and moved on.
"But that wasn't to be and then that was the start of it."
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Despite the game being filled with an unprecedented number of sin bins, Robinson believes his team had opportunities to win the game but failed to execute at key moments.
"You want them to calm down," he stressed.
"The game was on the line at 24-14. The game was right there.
"Like, it was 20 minutes to go - there was so much time.
"I think it was 12 [players] on 11. And then it was 13 on 12. And that was the time for us to execute.
"It was time for us to get back in tune with how we wanted to play and we didn't.
"We missed those opportunities. And then [South Sydney] took it to 30-14 and the game was over."
