DCE screams at ref after puzzling call

By Marc Churches and Melanie Dinjaski

The NRL may have some questions to answer next week after Manly centre Morgan Harper missed out on what appeared to be a certain try due to a puzzling forward pass call.

In the first half against the Melbourne Storm, Harper was the recipient of a flick-on pass by Daly Cherry-Evans, but after the centre crossed over to score a try the touch judge ruled the Manly’s skipper had committed a forward pass.

“He wasn’t even in position!” Cherry-Evans was heard screaming arguing that the referee was not in a good spot to make the call.

“How can you call a forward pass?”

Replays showed the decision to be controversial, with rugby league greats Andrew Johns and Billy Slater left stunned.

“There is no way in the world that was forward!” Johns said in Nine’s commentary.

“That didn’t look forward,” Slater added.

“He’s caught the ball in the same position that Daly Cherry-Evans threw it.

“Daly’s objecting that the referee wasn’t even in position. The touch judge called it and he wasn’t in position.”

Fortunately for Manly, Storm winger Isaac Lumelume was deemed off-side during the play, which handed the Sea Eagles back possession and moments later, Jason Saab scored Manly’s first try of the night.

However it wasn’t enough to kickstart Manly as the Storm steamrolled the Sea Eagles 40-12 in the one-sided affair.

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!

The highest paid NRL players of the 2021 finals series