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Round 11 vs Sharks

thebigredv

thebigredv

First Grade
Messages
5,407
dragon thomo said:
It does not matter if we were robbed or not. We always seem to let in soft tries and when our opponents go up another gear we cant match them.
We have got a soft underbelly and our forwards not as physical as others.
Click to expand...

All true. The only consolation today is that win or lose, we don't have a serious shot at this premiership, and that's what it is all about.

We would have beaten the Sharks with 5 more minutes. They won't be there come finals time on that showing.
 
G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,334
DRAGONS


Bunker officials dropped after controversial try ruling
Author
Brad Walter NRL.com Senior Reporter
Timestamp
Sat 25 Jul 2020, 09:56 PM
walterbrad-head.png

Bunker officials Steve Clark and Ben Galea have been dropped after incorrectly awarding a try to Cronulla forward Jack Williams in the Sharks' 28-24 defeat of St George Illawarra on Saturday night.

Dragons fullback Matt Dufty revealed that he had tried to challenge the decision on the field after insisting he had grounded the ball first, while coach Paul McGregor blasted the call after the match.

McGregor called for accountability after replays appeared to show Dufty had got his hand under that of Williams as they scrambled for a Shaun Johnson grubber that ricocheted off St George Illawarra prop Blake Lawrie.

NRL head of football Graham Annesely responded swiftly by announcing that Jared Maxwell and Bryan Norrie would replace Clark and Galea at Sunday's Titans-Panthers match.

“The bunker decision to award a try to Jack Williams in tonight’s Sharks-Dragons game was incorrect. Steve Clark and Ben Galea were due to officiate again tomorrow in the Titans-Panthers game as bunker officials," Annesley said.

"They have now been relegated, and will be replaced by Jared Maxwell and Brian Norrie.”

With the Sharks hanging on after Dufty and winger Jason Saab bombed tries from kicks in the last three minutes, the call was the major talking point after the match.

Dufty was stunned when the try was awarded and told referee Grant Atkins he wanted to use the captain’s challenge to force the Bunker to review the incident further, but it cannot be used in those circumstances.

“The boys asked me when it went to video ref, ‘did you get it down’ and I said ‘100 per cent I got it down’,” Dufty said.

“I haven’t seen it but the coach told me after the game that I had grounded it first and I said that I thought I did.

“Even after they awarded the try I was pretty shocked. I asked if we could challenge it but he said it was the video ref.”

McGregor said he had no doubt the Bunker had gotten the decision wrong.

"It was pretty clear, right,” McGregror told reporters after the match.

“How do they keep getting it wrong and who's accountable for it because it's a stuff up and in the end, there's the difference?

"All you guys should make a song and dance and do something about it because it's not good enough."

However, Sharks coach John Morris said there had still been 71 minutes left in the game and questioned whether Dufty had fumbled the ball in the lead up to a spectacular first half try by Dragons centre Zac Lomax

"What goes around comes around in this game and at the end of an 80-minute game like that, I don't think the Jack Williams try, if it was proven to be no try, was such a huge play,” Morris said.

After taking an early lead, the Dragons lost control of the game and were unable to regain it until midway through the second half.

Despite losing halfback Adam Clune and forward Trent Merrin at halftime after both failed HIAs, St George Illawarra finished the stronger and had momentum after tries to Lomax and winger Mikaele Ravalawa.

Dufty had a hand in both tries and then had the chance to snatch a late victory when he dived on a Ben Hunt grubber into the Cronulla in-goal three minutes from full-time but he fumbled the ball.

“I felt like I let the boys and the team down there at the end of the game,” he said.

“Nine times out of 10 at training I finish those little grubbers in behind but I thought I left the ground a second too early and you’ve got to finish those.”

Saab also lost the ball in the in-goal after catching a Corey Norman kick in the 79th minute and the Dragons fell short of a third consecutive win.

“They were much more physical than us in the first 40,” McGregor said.

“We showed effort and grit to be in a winnable position with two opportunities in the last three minutes.

“We have to be better at the start. I know we led but they got forward pretty comfortably. We have to be a lot more physical.”


https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/07/25/i-was-shocked-dufty-wanted-to-challenge-bunker-decision/
 
G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,334
NRL bench bunker duo after Dragons error
  • National Sport News
    r0_0_800_600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

    Cronulla have held on to beat St George Illawarra 28-24 in a seesawing, rainy NRL match at Kogarah.
    The NRL have taken the rare step of benching a bunker duo mid-round after they committed a crucial error in St George Illawarra's four-point loss to Cronulla.

    Steve Clark and Ben Galea were on Saturday night pulled from Sunday's match between Gold Coast and Penrith following their botched call in Kogarah.

    Dragons coach Paul McGregor lashed out at the officials post-game after watching his team go agonisingly close to pulling off an incredible comeback.

    His team were down 14 points with almost half-an-hour to go when they scored two tries in five minutes to set up a grandstand finish.

    They blew two chances to in the final two minutes to steal the win, however were left to rue the bunker's decision to award a try to Jack Williams early in the game.

    St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor will also be left to rue the bunker's decision to award Jack Williams a try early in the contest.

    Replays showed Dufty grounded the ball in-goal before Williams.

    "Pretty clear, right? So how do they keep getting it wrong and who's accountable for it? It's a stuff up but, in the end, there's the difference," McGregor said.

    "The person who's watching this should, and all you guys should make enough song and dance to do something about it, eh, because it's not good enough."

    Late on Saturday night, NRL head of football Graham Annesley said Clark and Galea would be replaced by Jared Maxwell and Bryan Norrie on Sunday.

    "The bunker decision to award a try to Jack Williams in tonight's Sharks-Dragons game was incorrect," Annesley said.

    "Steve Clark and Ben Galea were due to officiate again tomorrow in the Titans-Panthers game as bunker officials.

    "They have now been relegated, and will be replaced by Jared Maxwell and Bryan Norrie."

    It was a thrilling end to an entertaining contest at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, where both sides defied the wet conditions to combine for nine tries.

    Zac Lomax was involved in two contenders for the try of the year, but it was not enough to prevent the irrepressible form of Sharks star Shaun Johnson.

    The league leader in try assists added two more, taking his tally to 16, was involved in a third, and scored a fourth himself in another stellar display.

    He was supported by prop Royce Hunt, who made 196 metres off the bench.

    The win might have come at a cost, though, with halfback Chad Townsend (calf) and Jesse Ramien (hamstring) both suffering injuries.

    In a high-octane opening, both teams traded early tries before the Dragons produced one for the highlight reels.

    A break by Dufty resulted in a push down the left flank before switching to the right, where Hunt kicked for Lomax, who grubbered for himself to score.

    However, the Sharks seized momentum off the back of four straight six-again calls which resulted in three successive tries, all involving Johnson.

    The New Zealand international had a hand in Sione Katoa going over, waltzed through himself for the second, then grubbered for Will Kennedy for the third.

    A blowout loomed when Aaron Woods crashed over soon after resumption, however Dufty kept his team in the game with a flick pass for Lomax's second.

    The comeback was on after Lomax's next contribution, a no-look flick pass which ricocheted off a Sharks player and into the hands of Mikaele Ravalawa to score.

    The Dragons then missed two looks at pinching the two points.

    Matt Dufty failed to ground a Ben Hunt grubber in the 78th minute, before Jason Saab touched down on the dead-ball line on the final play of the game.

    But Cronulla held on to claim their fifth win in six games to climb into the eight.

    "Massive sigh of relief; that was a nervous last 10 minutes there; just so proud of the boys," Sharks coach John Morris said.

    "That was a local derby the way they were meant to be played."

    Australian Associated Press

    https://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/6849625/nrl-bench-bunker-duo-after-dragons-error/?cs=12760
 
G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,334
Dragons coach Paul McGregor fumes over bunker blunder as St George fall millimetres from miracle against Sharks
The NRL has acted quickly after the St George Illawarra Dragons coach Paul McGregor erupted over a bunker controversy against the Sharks.


Andrew McMurtry@AndrewMcMurtry
6086628d18816d3c0e06bc36cff51f11

news.com.auJuly 25, 202010:20pm

Lomax's filthy try assist
NRL: Zac Lomax can play, watch this amazing try assist as the St George Illawarra Dragons face off against the Cronulla Sharks.
The Cronulla Sharks have claimed a 28-24 win but the game has ended in heartbreak for the St George Illawarra Dragons.

Down 22-14 at the halftime break, the Dragons looked long gone with Trent Merrin and Adam Clune ruled out of the match.

And when the Sharks scored again, through Aaron Woods to start the half, it looked like it was all over for the Dragons.

But a stunning comeback sparked by the side’s right side attack of Zac Lomax and Mikaele Ravalawa have almost snatched a second straight come-from-behind victory.

The Dragons hit back with a try through Lomax as fullback Matt Dufty delivered a perfect flick pass to put his centre in in the corner.

The Dragons then made it a one point ball game when Lomax picked up a grubber from Dufty before hurling the ball in at the Sharks’ Ronaldo Mulitalo, with the ball bouncing into Ravalawa’s hands to cross the line with 22 minutes remaining.

Inside the final 10 minutes, the Dragons had chances to attack the line with two attacking raids snuffed out 10m from the line.

With three minutes to go however, Matt Dufty seemed certain to score off a grubber, only to knock on.

But the Dragons had one more chance inside the final minute, with Corey Norman kicking across field for Jason Saab.

The young winger flew through the air, catching the ball and grounding it — only he landed on the dead ball line.

ed742315afeff9001cb05224d77ac993

Jason Saab grounded the ball on the dead ball line.Source:FOX SPORTS

It was a heartbreaking finish for the Dragons who came from behind last week to claim a last gasp win against the Canterbury Bulldogs.

“Almost a play for the ages,” Dan Ginnane said in commentary. “Almost coming up with a miracle.”

That one hurts #NRLSharksDragons #redv

— Isaac McIntyre (@isaac_mcintyre6) July 25, 2020
Rugby league is a game of millimetres #NRLSharksDragons pic.twitter.com/s1qpnGPPA0

— Telegraph Sport (@telegraph_sport) July 25, 2020
Wow the Dragons were millimetres away from a smash and grab against the Sharks #NRLSharksDragons

— Anthony Lewis (@tonylewis92) July 25, 2020
The Dragons were left to rue a controversial try early in the game with the Sharks awarded a score when the St George’s Matt Dufty had clearly grounded the ball first.

Dragons coach Paul McGregor was asked about the try and shook his head.

“Pretty clear right?” he said. “How do they keep getting it wrong and who’s accountable for it? Because it’s a stuff up but in the end, there’s the difference.

“What can I do? I think the person probably watching this and you guys should make a song and dance and do something about it because it’s not good enough.”

The NRL were quick to act, announcing bunker officials Ben Galea and Steve Clark were dropped for the Titans-Panthers game tomorrow.

“The bunker decision to award a try to Jack Williams in tonight’s Sharks-Dragons game was incorrect,” NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley said in a statement.

“Steve Clark and Ben Galea were due to officiate again tomorrow in the Titans-Panthers game as bunker officials.

“They have now been relegated, and will be replaced by Jared Maxwell and Brian Norrie.”

a6d118292ad734b6aa46ac8137f7aae0

Matt Dufty appeared to ground the ball first.Source:FOX SPORTS

Dufty was shocked when the decision went the Sharks way at the time.

“The boys asked me when it went to video ref, ‘did you get it down’ and I said ‘100 per cent I got it down’,” Dufty said.

“I haven’t seen it but the coach told me after the game that I had grounded it first and I said that I thought I did.

“Even after they awarded the try I was pretty shocked. I asked if we could challenge it but he said it was the video ref.”

Sharks coach John Morris said it was a “massive sigh of relief”.

“That was a local derby the way they’re meant to be played,” he said.

But when asked about the Williams try, he said he hadn’t seen it up close but “at first look it looked like a try”.

“They had enough looks at it to determine the try I’ve got to back their decision, “ he said. I think the Dragons may have bobbled a ball in the lead up to one of their first tries as well. What goes around comes around in this game and at the end of an 80 minute game like that, I don’t think the Jack Williams try, if it was given no try was such a huge play.”

It didn’t stop a thrilling first half however with the Sharks scoring four tries to the Dragons two to set up the win.


https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/d...s/news-story/cb19b0f2a6c0874021a784b7390c72ba
 
G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,334
NRL concedes bunker made crucial error in St George Illawarra loss
Dragons Den
r0_91_4109_2401_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

Controversial moment: Matt Dufty and Jack Williams race to ground the football. Picture: NRL Imagery/Gregg Porteous.


The NRL has conceded bunker officials Steve Clark and Ben Galea were incorrect to award Jack Williams a crucial try in Saturday night's clash between the Dragons and the Sharks.

The try came in the ninth minute, however with the match ultimately ending 28-24, it played a key role in the final outcome.

The pair were due to sit in the bunker when the Titans take on the Panthers on Sunday, however the NRL has acted by replacing the pair with Jared Maxwell and Bryan Norrie.

Read more: Devils bounce back with gritty win in the wet

The incident came as Matt Dufty scrambled to dive on a deflected kick that took a favourable Cronulla bounce.

The Dragons fullback appeared to get to the ball first, however the bunker was quick to adjudicate in awarding the Sharks the try.

Further replays seemed to confirm it was Dufty who grounded the ball.

In a statement Graham Annesley confirmed the try should not have been awarded.

"The bunker decision to award a try to Jack Williams in tonight's Sharks-Dragons game was incorrect," Annesley said.

"Steve Clark and Ben Galea were due to officiate again tomorrow in the Titans-Panthers game as bunker officials. They have now been relegated, and will be replaced by Jared Maxwell and Brian Norrie."

St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor was not happy with the decision, calling for the officials to be held accountable for their decisions.

"It was pretty clear right? So how do they keep getting them wrong and who's accountable for it?" McGregor said.

"It's a stuff up and in the end that's the difference.

"You guys (the media) should make enough song and dance to do something about it, because it's not good enough."


https://www.illawarramercury.com.au...de-crucial-error-in-st-george-illawarra-loss/
 
Miller was a legend

Miller was a legend

Coach
Messages
17,540
_Johnsy said:
Fact 1: Yes we copped a shyte decision.
Fact 2:We had plenty of opportunity to nail the game.
Fact 3: Our ill discipline re: set restart killed us.
The most important fact we cannot gloss over.
Fact 4: We were not good enough when it mattered.
Click to expand...
Maybe super coach could have spent a little more time on these type of facts then hanging his hairless hat on the bunker blunder
 
Red V for life

Red V for life

Juniors
Messages
886
Firstly, our poor showing in the first half lost us the game imo.

I’d be intrigued to hear Clark and Galea’s explanation for their decision though, but we won’t. They could only have thought Dufty’s hand wasn’t his.

Annesley confirming the obvious and dropping the Bunker refs within hours after the game does nothing for me. The Bunker’s has some howlers this season and they just have to get it right then and there.

I’d be interested in your opinions on this though or maybe someone can clarify. Competing for the ball when a bomb goes up.

Yesterday, in the Warriors game, Fusitua goes up, before he touches the ball he is nudged by a Roosters player who has eyes for the ball who leapt early but was under Fusitua, Fusitua knocks on. I don’t like it. The reality is there was no competition for the ball in the air given Fusitua’s position, but it seems as though if the attacking player keeps their eyes on the ball, all is good.
 
FlameThrower

FlameThrower

Bench
Messages
3,557
Is there some stat on which teams are giving away most reset / 6 again. Surely we would have to be one of the worst and it’s killing us with heaps more tackles. I don’t like the rule, as half the time you can see or hear the reason for it in first place..
And as posted elsewhere our goal line defence is woeful.
 
Crush

Crush

Coach
Messages
11,336
The 6 agains given against us late in the tackle count have cost us 4 competition points this year.
I hate this rule. It gives the refs so much power, they can just blow set restart whenever they want with no need to explain themselves. They can change the momentum of a game. It leaves them open to corruption and a real target for illegal betting.
We had them in that first 15 minutes then the refs just went bang bang bang and gave Cronulla set restarts until they scored.
I'd rather a penalty be blown. At least then there is a replay and the refs are accountable.
Set restart no replay, no reason, no worries.
It stinks.
 
TruSaint

TruSaint

Referee
Messages
20,855
Crush said:
The 6 agains given against us late in the tackle count have cost us 4 competition points this year.
I hate this rule. It gives the refs so much power, they can just blow set restart whenever they want with no need to explain themselves. They can change the momentum of a game. It leaves them open to corruption and a real target for illegal betting.
We had them in that first 15 minutes then the refs just went bang bang bang and gave Cronulla set restarts until they scored.
I'd rather a penalty be blown. At least then there is a replay and the refs are accountable.
Set restart no replay, no reason, no worries.
It stinks.
Click to expand...

They are given so randomly, and as you say in quick succession, there is no way of refs being held to account. It was fun at first, but now its so arbitrary.
 
Dragons4me

Dragons4me

Juniors
Messages
1,339
I'd be starting Kerr and Vaughan together as battering rams. Lay a platform from the beginning and rotate with Blacker when necessary. Stop using the backrow as battering rams. They're for second phase play and hole running. That would give our backs a little room to move. Our bash and barge for 5 and kick on 6 isn't scaring too many.
 
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