Cook claims Dragons dudded again by bunker
A spirited St George Illawarra side lost 24-16 to the Raiders in Canberra on Sunday, but the decision to give Xavier Savage a chance in the 58th minute with the home side leading by just two points will be a major point of contention.
Dragons co-captain Damien Cook said even the Raiders players were not convinced Savage had scored.
Kyle Flanagan passed the ball, Raiders center Simi Sasagi appeared to throw the ball forward as it passed over her head, then Savage caught the ball and raced across the field to score.
Sasagi’s touch was clearly visible in replays, which may explain why players on both teams remained at one end of the pitch.
Cooper Cronk said in Fox’s commentary: “Yes, that [Sasagi] his face is turned away but his hand touches the ball and it goes forward; This is not an experiment.”
But shelter official Adam Gee did not intervene; If the video referee believes an obvious error has been overlooked, he can intervene and the try is approved.
“It’s quite disappointing and to sum up, even the Canberra Raiders staff were quite shocked by this decision,” Cook said.
“They didn’t even have a hitter there.
“Not only us, but also the fans [are affected]they deserve better.
“And I’m Val’s [Holmes] He was pushed from behind and this required a punishment [in the first half].”
Holmes was denied a try in the eighth minute after failing to bring the ball down, but only after being pushed onto his back by Savage.
This dugout decision further angered Dragons coach Dean Young.
“I’m confused about this,” he said. “When two people compete for the ball, people are side by side. Savage was behind Val and pushed him onto his back and the momentum prevents Val from putting the ball down.
“I was very disappointed in a few of the shelter calls.”
The dugout prevented Cook from trying during the Magic Round when he cleared the ball from the hands of Penrith winger Brian To’o; The NRL later confirmed this was the wrong decision.
Although the Dragons continue to fight hard, they remain at the bottom of the standings. Young, meanwhile, is doing everything he can to convince the club’s power brokers that he warrants an appointment as a permanent head coach.
