“The footy gods weren’t on our side” was how St George Illawarra coach Steve Price summed up his team’s shock loss to Melbourne.
The Dragons were primed to snap a two-game losing streak and break through for their first win in Melbourne since 1999.
But a frantic try scored by Storm winger Young Tonumaipea after full-time gave the home team a thrilling 28-24 win.
The Dragons repelled wave after wave of Storm attack and it looked like they would hold on for the deserved victory.
It wasn’t to be.
“It’s totally gut-wrenching,” said Price, whose team has now suffered three straight defeats.
“We were really courageous, the footy gods weren’t on our side.
“It’s tough to take.”
The visitors finished down a man with Joel Thompson off with concussion.
Centre Dylan Farrell, who scored the opening try, was a first half casualty and will go for scans on a suspected torn pec.
Tonumaipea’s try came after after the Storm threw the ball wildly around the field after the final hooter before Ryan Hoffman found his winger.
The once impenetrable Melbourne fortress looked decidedly shaky until that final try, after falling to Gold Coast last round.
Again it was errors, both in attack and defence, that cruelled many of their chances until the final 20 minutes.
Trailing 24-10 the Storm finally found some spark to score two quick tries to get back to a two-point margin with nine minutes remaining.
The game marked the return of former Storm five-eighth Gareth Widdop and while he impressed, the backs outside him starred.
NSW State of Origin fullback Josh Dugan, who is on the comeback from a knee injury, had a mixed bag.
The Storm targetted him with their kicking game and in the first half the pressure reaped rewards with some notable errors.
He let the home side score their second try when he slid under a Billy Slater kick, allowing Will Chambers to snatch the ball for the easiest of tries.
Chambers then gave the Dragons the halftime lead when he was put on report for a shoulder charge that flattened Dugan, with Widdop on target with the penalty kick.
But in the second half a Dugan break led to a try by Gerard Beale, with Trent Merrin then taking advantage of a Sisa Waqa dropped ball to blow the lead out to 14 points.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy said he felt it “surreal” that he side trailed by so much.
“I just thought we played really well the last 20 minutes and I was really happy with that,” he said.
“To win like that, we obviously had a little bit of luck there but at a couple of other stages luck probably deserted us so it was nice to get that at the end.”
planko
Guest
xavialonso I think stormboy works for the Storm marginal tactics clearly against the spirit of the game are their style LOL.
xavialonso
Guest
I like your thinking Stormboy.
paul crann
Guest
It was interesting how the NRL PR machine went into overdrive today after the latest outcry over refereeing. After well over 40 years of partication in the game I have never seen such a farce. Again, i refer to the annual penalty statistics, they speak for themselves and even then only tell half the tale. Was the crime committed in North Queensland several years ago not a cionspiracy of soughts ? It's touching that some people are so accepting, perhaps they still believe in Santa Claus but I can tell you now, Rupert Murdoch ain't no Santa. News corp wants their pound of flesh but don't take my word for it. I refer you to the doco "shadows of liberty" to learn just how corrupting and controlling the media and News Corp in particular can be. For my part I will not be Hijacked and will no longer remain a true believer.
Fil
Guest
No. the titans won fair and square. The storm thought they would get away with a strip on the last to grab the ball and march upfield. It didn't work as refs were on to it. Refs are sneaky with their square ups. They don't like publicity. So you can be sure they were calling that one as they saw it. But what prompted that call? Look at storm penalty count in second half. They picked up most of the penalties. Same as for storm v manly and penrith. If not for the refs, storm would be sharing last place with the sharks. The storm are very very ordinary on the rare occasion when they are pulled up for their deliberate fouling and gamesmanship
Storm Boy
Guest
Widdop should have passed the ball to Beale who should have run back into his own ingoal and waited until the Storm players got close before touching the ball down. Then the Dragons could have burned the last seconds of the game using the time allowed to be wasted for a drop out. No time left to take the drop out. Game over.
Muzz
Guest
Can't believe Archer has admitted they got it wrong.Just a simple review would of shown that the siren had gone off before the foot had touch the ball.
Vivalasvegan
Guest
Gee Whizz, we'd still be waiting on the result now if it went to the video refs...! The Bromwich try took them ten minutes and that wasn't even doubtful...
Vivalasvegan
Guest
Are you saying the Titans are a marquee team then Fil? They were handed the game on a plate by a shocking reffing decision last week against the Storm... Dragons got a few very lucky calls last night - Melbourne may have been given one extra second and took this bit of luck with two hands to pull off a great try... Swings and Roundabouts...
PNG Bronco fan#88
Guest
Thats what you get when you play negative and try to hold on for the win in the closing quaters. Example being, Widdop kicking for touch just 60+ metres from his own try line with a minute to go...wtf!!
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
There's no conspiracy. Anyone who says there is is kidding themselves. The refs are just a bunch of incompetent fools who are making it up as they go along. But allowing play to go on after fulltime is criminal. Almost as bad as counting an extra tackle (Cowboys fans know what I'm talking about). So there you have it: Chicken Legs Cecchin is now responsible for the two worst refereeing mistakes of the modern era.
Morfs
Guest
I think you're referring to the Round 25 game against the Sharks, where he put Chambers across with less than 30 seconds ago to steal a 2 point win. If so, that was in 2012. Yep, we've had an entire season pass since then. Feels like last week, though.
The eye
Guest
and that sitter he dropped that put Merrin in under the post....just beautiful !!
Muzz
Guest
Hey Troops,i'm not trying to point out something that the referee missed just that it should of been reviewed.I got lucky picking the Storm and as i said in Walters preview there should be more than 50 points scored in this game. Interesting point in the game and maybe the Storms season was the call that went against them with approximately 20 to go. Slater lost it and this fired them up.From there, you could see the momentum starting to shift. On Slater,he needs a slap : )
The eye
Guest
So the men in control of the video upstairs who watched it interminably from the same tape and angles we did missed it too,wow,how did that evade the only people who really matter in the decision? You didn't hear them say it was inconclusive ? they must be joking too... Tony Archer has come out today and said the refs got it wrong on allowing the last play...gee,good call,those Dragons are whingers !!
BA Sports
Guest
How good was Waqa's pass by the way?! He won a Monday night game last year on the last play running the short side and doing the draw and pass didn't he? Man has some skills.
I'mastormtrooper2
Guest
I fully agree Muzz - But the refs didn't ... I think it was a try, and perhaps the sideline and onfield refs kept up to speed ... It won't be the first or last time that happens in "our game" ... Hope you spoilt yourself with your winnings ... I don''t bet much ... Melbourne Cup (once) or when we go to a local race meeting, which is few and far between ... It's hard enough barracking for them without betting on them as well ... :-D
Muzz
Guest
As a neutral i found the game very entertaining and had a little flutter on the Storm so was lucky in that respect BUT i have one major concern.Take another look at that last try.When a try is scored that determines the outcome of a game and starts near one sideline and is kicked across field and almost reaches the other, there is the potential for,offside,interference,knock on etc.From there, the ball, goes through a number of hands back to where it started from.The try is then scored by the person that originally played the ball.Surely you owe it to the Dragons players and coaching staff, their fans and the punters that put their hard earned down to take such a freakish try and it's impact upstairs and have it reviewed.
Meesta Cool
Guest
BA. I don't think the Dragons supporters or officials saw that try!.. The commentators certainly did, you and I did and the people watching tele and the BIG screen did I wonder why this momnent managed to evade the Dragons?. Then after fluking the win with a desperate play That started right on the siren, The ref ends the game, not the siren!., The Dragons complained about getting a raw deal.. gotta be joking!.
I'mastormtrooper2
Guest
That headline should read:- "LATE TRY SEALS WIN FOR STORM" !!! Whine all you like , fact is, the game is over and no amount of complaining is going to change it. I'm sure any incorrect referee decisions will be looked at and those referee's who made blunders that affected the games outcomes, will be notified whether they will be officiating this coming week. I'm sure the newspapers will be notified of that also. Another thing to watch out for this coming weekend is if St. George, get a lot of benefits of the doubts from the referee during their game and the Storm don't ... Que Sara Sara ... IT IS WHAT IT IS ... Love it, Like it, Loathe it ...
ferret
Guest
People blaiming the ref, conspiracy theorist are kidding themselves. Both teams could have put the other away at various times during the game. The Storm dominated possession and position for the latter part of the first half only for the Dragons to score a great try against the run of play and get back into it. Then in the second the Dragons had a 14 point lead and let it slip. Great game of footy but both sides are more at fault for letting the other team back into it than "bad ref calls" or conspiracy!