NRL fans in uproar after 'disgraceful' call helps Panthers end Manly's finals hopes

NRL fans were once again crying foul on Thursday night after Penrith were awarded a dubious try in their 24-12 win over Manly at Brookvale. One week after head of football Graham Annesley admitted three teams were dudded by incorrect calls in Round 23, the NRL appears to have some explaining to do once more.

With Manly leading the Panthers 12-6 late in the first half, Stephen Crichton scored in the corner to make it 12-12. However there were multiple question marks over the lead-up to the try, with Liam Martin appearing to knock the ball forward into Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega, before passing off the ground with a tackler on him.

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Martin and Vaega both jumped to contest a high ball, with replays clearly showing Martin knocked the ball forward into Vaega before regathering. If that wasn't bad enough, Martin was lying on the ground with Vaega's hands on him when he passed to a teammate, but referee Gerard Sutton called play on and awarded Penrith six again.

Some suggested Nathan Cleary then knocked on again while attempting a kick, but replays appeared to show his boot making contact with the ball. Matt Eisenhuth was then tackled, but the Panthers scored on the ensuing play.

Because the contentious play had occurred before the last play-the-ball, the Bunker wasn't allowed to review it and the try was ticked off. “I think Martin loses the ball into Vaega and everyone had stopped,” Michael Ennis said on Fox League.

“And all of a sudden Gerard Sutton started saying ‘six to go’. But Nathan (Cleary) had already attempted a kick. That looked like play was about to break down.

“What a contentious moment this is. After a blatant knock on from Liam Martin. Huge call.”

NRL fans left seething over 'disgraceful' farce

Greg Alexander said: “Liam Martin went up for the ball with Ray Vaega, Liam probably got a touch to it first, knocked it into Vaega and got it back. The referee has allowed the play-the-ball to happen and so they couldn’t go back and Stephen Crichton scores. Liam definitely gets a hand to it and he ends up taking it but not before it hit the Manly winger.”

On Channel 9, Billy Slater said: “There’s a few question marks about this. Liam Martin, he knocks it on, and then is he tackled?” Andrew Johns said: “He is tackled.”

Fans were left seething over the farcical rule that doesn't allow the Bunker to review anything that happened before the previous play-the-ball in adjudicating a try. Many pointed out that the Bunker has been going back whole sets of six this year in order to review potential foul play.

Manly not giving up on playing NRL finals just yet

To make matters worse for Manly, the loss appears to have ended their slim chances of making the finals. “There’s a dubious call or two with two of their tries,” coach Anthony Seibold said in his post-match press conference.

“It was massive right, in the context of the game. Those types of calls, it’s human error, but they hurts you, right?

“We had enough time, 40 minutes to go so I’m not going to whinge about it. Everyone knows it should have been pulled up and I can live with that because sometimes you get a good call and sometimes you don’t.”

Seibold conceded his side would need a raft of other results to go their way in order for them to play finals, but wasn't giving up hope. "That gives us courage, that gives us conviction to say that we can make the finals," he said of his team's performance against the two-time defending champions.

"(Penrith) are a red-hot side, we're missing quite a few players and I thought we went down swinging. That gives me confidence. I hope that gives Chez (captain Daly Cherry-Evans) and the group confidence, I know it does."

with AAP

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