The voice of reason was Jason Taylor.

Unlike his counterparts Tim Sheens and Des Hasler, South Sydney's coach responded to a sequence of unfavourable calls against his side with subdued dignity.

While the other pair embarked on tirades against decisions that probably cost their teams victory, Taylor was content to let his angst slide for the greater good.

With Friday night's golden-point epic in the balance over the final 20 minutes, three hotly disputed calls were made.

They all went against the Rabbitohs.

The scrumbase confusion that marred the ultimate finale was endlessly analysed over the weekend - but the inescapable conclusion is Souths were on the wrong end of a line-ball decision. Rabbitohs firebrand Michael Crocker was also unlucky to be penalised twice in the dying stages of normal time. His first indiscretion saw Parramatta level, his second cost Souths a last-gasp shot at a field goal.

Put all these disappointments together, add the pressure to win games in such a tight competition and the stress of a 90-minute slugfest, and Taylor was entitled to fire perhaps more verbal bullets than Sheens and Hasler combined.

But he kept his tongue in the holster and walked away a bigger man for it.

"They just get it wrong from time to time," Taylor reasoned. "Everyone has agreed that we would rather not stop the game (for video replays) and we have to accept the fact they are going to get them wrong.

"That's part of the game. It goes with the game getting faster. They might get all the decisions right in 10 years time - but I'd be surprised. I'm a realist. We could talk about this every week - but what good does it do?"

While disappointed with JT at the time, because his muted reaction cost me a ready-made story lead and early mark to the pub after such a brutal week, I have to applaud him in the sober light of day.

Here's a man who understands what he can control and then realises it's simply a waste of energy to rail against matters superfluous to that. That's maturity - something Taylor didn't always display during his early days as a coach when he clashed with former Eels opposite Michael Hagan and invaded the field for a mid-game pep talk.

Taylor appreciates rugby league can't have it both ways. Either we sacrifice the game's natural flow to ensure maximum accuracy, or we sacrifice accuracy to preserve the flow.

Following last year's diabolical experiment with the video referee checking on strips, coaches voted for a purer form of the game, one that's not punctuated by more stoppages than Parramatta Rd in peak hour.

But the disposal of technology came at a price. Free-flowing, attractive football equates to more hectic demands for referees.

To counter this the NRL introduced a second whistleblower. A proper analysis of the past fortnight's bloopers reveal they have nothing to do with the new system. The video referee was to blame for the Bulldogs losing to St George Illawarra, while Wests Tigers and Manly were dudded by Jared Maxwell and Matt Cecchin respectively - relatively seasoned officials who've controlled games single-handedly before this season.

This praise for Taylor's softly-softly approach, however, is not a double-edged sword that hacks away at criticism of Sheens and Hasler. Both those coaches had legitimate gripes and were fully entitled to air them.

But I'm willing to bet there'll be less carping as younger referees gain more experience - not just at making the tough decisions but coping with the weekly demands of professional rugby league.