Thank you for providing me a nice clear video of one of my favourite Rugby League moments ever.
Wow I'm speechless. Didn't expect this mass denial about a simple forward pass. What's the big deal? I just pointed it out as a curiosity, but the lack of attention to detail on here is mind boggling.
It's because it only matters the direction the ball is travelling when it leaves your hands, not where it ends up.
For example, if you're running down a field and throw a ball flat, it'll still travel forward, in relation to where it left your hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgMlDy2jP9s
The pass in your video travelled forward. The questions whether it was thrown forwards? I think you'd be pretty biased to say it did. Looked flat at worst to me. Passes like that happen 50 times a game.
I am perfectly aware of how momentum works when you throw a flat pass while running forward at speed. But Pearce was moving almost sideways, and it was a relatively short ball anyway. It came out of the hand forward.
I have no problem with it not called, because many forward passes are let go, but wanted to note it as a curiosity.