Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has cursed his team’s ill-discipline after they gave away three late penalties to lose the final match ofNRLMagic Round in golden point to Canberra 20-18, in a game that saw a crucial field goal kicked and then called back.
The Victorians were cruising towards victory after Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen slotted a one-pointer that appeared to put his side up by seven with five minutes to go.
However, referee Gerard Sutton called play back due to a penalty for an elbow on the Raiders’ Joe Tapine by Melbourne lock Trent Loiero – the ball-carrier in the preceding tackle – spotted by the bunker.
Bellamy said he was disappointed. “For the last couple of minutes, [there were] a couple of lapses in our discipline there [that] probably cost us,” he said. “It’s a pretty hard one to take.”
After the field goal, the Storm players had run back into their half in preparation for a Raiders kick-off but had to reassemble when the bunker informed Sutton of Loiero’s foul play.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said the referees got it right, although he agreed going back in time to uncover penalties was contentious.
“I don’t think we can go back too many passages of play and want to have the bunker scrutinise something, but look, it was missed and picked up, so now we were fortunate,” he said.
Following the incident, Canberra fullback Kaeo Weekes scored a sensational chip and chase try that allowed Jamal Fogarty’s conversion to lock the scores up 18-18, then the Raiders claimed victory in golden point thanks to a penalty goal.
Loiero was again the guilty party – this time for a high tackle – and the Raiders taunted the Queensland Origin player after Sutton blew his whistle.
Storm captain Cameron Munster said he told Loiero afterwards to learn from it.
“I’ve had the highs of highs and lows of lows, in those games you don’t want to be that guy that clips the guy on the chin, and they go for two in the penalty,” he said.
“It’s a crucial game, crucial point, I’ve been there, been in grand finals where I’ve done some silly stuff, so I’ve just gone up to him and said ‘mate, learn from it’.”
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Loiero was forlorn at full-time, wandering off by himself after shaking hands with the euphoric Raiders.
But he was not alone in his ill-discipline. Earlier in the golden point period, the Storm had another chance to take the lead with possession deep in the Raiders territory, but prop Stefano Utoikamanu appeared to step on Canberra hooker Tom Starling while he got up to play the ball.
Utoikamanu was sent to the sin bin along with Raiders’ prop Josh Papali’i who rushed into the ensuing melee.
“To turn the ball over when you’ve got the ball 15 metres from their line, if he was in the wrong, well, [Utoikamanu] needs to pick his discipline up,” Bellamy said. “At the end of the day, you can’t be giving the ball away in those positions.”
The victory takes Canberra to second place, ahead of a top-of-the-table clash against Canterbury at GIO Stadium on Saturday.