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Andrew Moore | 25/05/09 | 0

AUDIO - Another game decided by a referee blunder

It was a sensational game to watch on Sunday afternoon at Skilled Park with the Gold Coast grabbing a one-point win thanks to a Scott Prince penalty goal in the last minute and a half.

But let’s be fair dinkum. That was a terrible decision by referee Matt Cecchin.

While scrambling after a kick, Matt Orford was ruled to have push Preston Campbell off the ball – he didn’t.

He was contesting the football. Orford was sliding in alongside Campbell – they did make contact – but he was going after the football.

For goodness sake, a result determined by what I think is a very poor decision.

It meant the Titans wrapped it up 18-17, after Manly looked like they had wrapped it up with Orford’s field goal with five minutes left on the clock.

It’s a huge call, because it takes the Gold Coast to 14 competition points and from eighth to sixth, it relegates Manly to 13th on eight points and it means the Sea Eagles are now five points outside the top eight. It’s a huge call.

At Canberra Stadium Terry Campese returned to form with a bang for the Raiders as they thrashed the New Zealand Warriors 38-12.

Gee I don’t know what’s gone wrong with the Warriors, they seem to have fallen to pieces this year, after promising so much last season and early this season.

The Raiders needed a performance like this to finally kick-start their season which had been very ordinary until Sunday. Campese and David Milne at fullback were just sensational.

Hopefully we can see more like it from the Green Machine in weeks to come because when they play like that they are very good to watch.

Also on the weekend Parramatta finally showed great enthusiasm to draw 16-all with South Sydney in the wet.

The Rabbitohs remain in the top eight. I think they have enormous talent, but I do think they need to change whatever gameplan they have in the backline – which seems non-existent at the moment. They have some very talented players who just don’t get the football.

Also on Friday, Brisbane beat a courageous Wests Tigers team 20-18 at Campbelltown.

On Saturday night St George Illawarra thrashed Cronulla 26-4. A great showing by the Sharks supporters incidentally, well done to you. More than 15,000 people showed up despite all the drama they’ve had to face in recent weeks.

And the Cronulla fans were pumped – that singing of the team song before kick-off was inspirational.

Sadly the team didn’t offer much other than effort out on the field.

The Bulldogs were brilliant on Saturday night, carving up the Storm 26-10 in Gosford.

I reckon that has to be one of the gutsiest Bulldogs wins in recent club history, especially when you consider Brett Kimmorley limped from the field after only 15 minutes. It was great stuff from the Doggies.

And the news on Kimmorley by the way: it was a really bad cork, he had trouble walking on it on Satuday night, saw the physio on Sunday and that will continue during the week, with the halfback hopeful of being fit for next Sunday’s game against Newcastle.

Penrith is going from strength to strength while the Sydney Roosters appear to be a leaderless rabble.

How on earth Brad Fittler thought it would be a good idea to switch Braith Anasta to fullback and Jordan Tansey to hooker, I’ll never know. It was a disaster.

The Panthers though were magnificent, winning 48-6. Michael Jennings and Luke Lewis among others had stand-out games, while the Roosters just looked hopeless.

I don’t think Brad Fittler did his future employment prospects at the Roosters any favours with the team he ran out there last night.

One bad note from the weekend was Paul Gallen’s alleged racial slur against St George Illawarra prop Mickey Paea. Although TV microphones may have picked up the words said, no official complaint was made on the field.

But I think it’s not good enough for the NRL to say ‘there’s nothing we can do about it now’.

How on earth Brad Fittler thought it would be a good idea to switch Braith Anasta to fullback and Jordan Tansey to hooker, I’ll never know. It was a disaster. Andrew Moore