Bulldogs down Knights 22-12 as no-try ruling proves costly for Newcastle
NEWCASTLE Knights fans were left feeling ripped off after a contentious no-try ruling robbed their side of a chance of a dramatic win over the Bulldogs.
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RIPPED off.
That’s how irate Newcastle Knights fans were left feeling after a highly contentious no-try ruling robbed their side of a chance of a dramatic win over the Bulldogs.
In the end, Des Hasler’s men got the job done with skipper James Graham enormous and replacement Matt Frawley again staking a strong claim for the halfback spot on a regular basis after scoring a try and laying on another in the 22-12 win.
The scoreline flattered the Dogs despite their lack of a goalkicker and didn’t do justice to a Knights side who battled hard all night but struggled to get the rub of the green in a number of decisions during the game.
The Knights were denied a couple of tries by the video referee but the biggest controversy came with seven minutes remaining with the Knights trialling 18-12.
Backrower Sione Mata’utia, who was outstanding for the home side, appeared to have scored a try off a Trent Hodkinson kick that could have levelled things up.
The referee thought so and everyone in the ground believed Hodkinson was about to line up a conversion that may well have sent the game to golden point.
But video referee Jarrod Maxwell had other ideas, ruling Mata’utia had lost control in the put down after looking at endless replays in slow motion.
With seconds left, Marcelo Montoya wrapped it up for the Dogs but who knows what may have eventuated had Mata’utia’s try been awarded.
Asked after the game did he feel ripped off, Knights coach Nathan Brown chose his words carefully.
“There’s certainly some areas of the game we are not getting favourable calls and that happens when you are an underdog every week,” he said.
“I don’t think the players are getting any calls at the moment. I don’t think we got any last week and we certainly didn’t get any today.
“But my job as a coach is to help coach the players to try and get it right in better situations and that’s pretty much all I can comment on.
“I’d love to comment but I don’t have money available.”
On the Mata’utia no-try ruling, Brown was equally diplomatic.
“If it was a try, they’d probably be still looking at it to make it not a try,” he said.
“They looked at it about 85,000 times. Some of the 50/50s we are not getting are our own fault. Some of the 50/50s we are not getting other people are involved in.”
Dogs coach Des Hasler was happy to get out of Newcastle with the two points.
“We knew it was always going to be a difficult task here and you have to give this Newcastle side a lot of credit,” he said.
“We could have managed it a bit better. We kept inviting them back in and we probably should still be playing extra time but they’re the fortunes of rugby league and we walk away with the win tonight.”
The Knights, with Mata’utia prominent and centre Dane Gagai brilliant, led 6-0 for much of the first half and could easily have led by more.
But in the space of a few seconds either side of the break, the Dogs jumped ahead 10-6 after tries to Brenko Lee right on half-time and Frawley, who came into the game off the bench when fullback Brad Abbey was replaced with concussion, within a minute of the resumption.
Winger Nathan Ross produced a spectacular leap for the Knights’ opening try off a Hodkinson bomb.
Further tries to Josh Morris and a brace to winger Marcelo Montoya, his last in the final seconds, got the Dogs home.
CANTERBURY 22 (M Montoya 2 M Frawley B Lee J Morris tries M Mbye goal) bt NEWCASTLE 12 (D Gagai N Ross tries T Hodkinson 2 goals) at McDonald Jones Stadium. Referee: Gavin Reynolds, Adam Gee. Crowd: 16,929.
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