The St. George Illawarra Dragons have proved beyond doubt that they belong on top of the ladder of the Telstra 2018 NRL Premiership competition with a convincing 34 – 14 win over 2017 premiers Melbourne Storm.
The game, obviously, was right in the spotlight as pertains to Origin selection, with Euan Aitken making a strong case to receive an NSW Blues jumper. He notched a double for the Dragons. Cameron McInnes made his case for inclusion as a hooker and scored a stylish try.
Ben Hunt, coming off his good showing on Anzac Day, turned in another quality game and seems to be a lock to wear the number seven jumper for the Queensland Maroons.
Even though his side was the losing, Josh Addo-Carr was exceptional for the Storm, with three tries, 169 run metres and six linebreaks.
He had four tries, but one was called back due to a ruck infringement called on the Dragons. At that moment, the implications of having a try erased by a sin committed by the other side were huge, as the Dragons held a 10 – 4 advantage at that point, but the Storm’s momentum was surging.
That call ignited a firestorm of controversy, with ex-NRL player Braith Anasta telling The Sunday Ticket, “It’s a diabolical call, it’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in a game, it’s shocking. At the end of the day, the penalty is given, not for an incorrect play-the-ball — (Sam) Kasiano gets to his feet, touches the ball with his foot — the penalty was given for McInnes crowding him at the ruck.They didn’t blow the penalty straight away, they blew it after the play unfolded and Addo-Carr scored a try in the left-hand corner.”
In some codes, America’s NFL comes to mind, a team often has the option of declining a penalty on the other team if the outcome of the play was better than the benefit provided by the penalty.
