Rugby league giveth and rugby league taketh away.
The Rabbitohs thought they’d snatched a dramatic victory from the jaws of defeat against the Wests Tigers on Saturday night, only for referee Belinda Sharpe to blow her whistle.
The Tigers looked in control until Souths veteran Damien Cook scored with two minutes left to make it 18-16 and set up a grandstand finish.
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Then on their final possession the Rabbitohs marched the ball 70 metres down field before Cam Murray put Davvy Moale over to send the coaches’ box into raptures.
But Murray, Moale and the coaching staff’s wild celebrations were short-lived as Sharpe immediately made the forward pass call, which replays showed was correct.
“For a moment there they thought they’d snatched it,” Cooper Cronk said on Fox League.
“The forward pass was the right call but look at Cam Murray, he goes up and the coaching staff of South Sydney carry on like they’ve won the grand final and then they realise, David Furner the defence coach goes ‘oh nooo, we’ve lost it’.
“If the cameras go to Benji’s box they’re doing cartwheels because they know they’ve won the game.”
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Tigers coach Benji Marshall admitted for a second there he could believe what he was seeing.
“I was in a bit of disbelief to be honest,” Marshall said.
“We were up by eight with six minutes to go and I thought we were good.”
Cook told Fox League “I thought we’d won it” while Murray also admitted he thought he’d clinched the game for his team.
“I was excited before I turned around and saw it was ruled a forward pass but yeah, one of those nights,” he said.
Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu said: “I’m pretty sure Jack Wighton threw a five-metre forward pass a few plays earlier so I’m just glad the ref came up with the right call in the end.”
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