NRL: Cleary left fuming at costly decision

Manu Vatuvei scored two tries in the Warriors' golden-point draw with Melbourne last night. Photo / Getty Images

Coach Ivan Cleary and captain Steve Price vented their frustrations at referee Tony Archer after the New Zealand Warriors slugged out a gripping 14-14 National Rugby League (NRL) draw against Melbourne last night.

After 10 minutes of golden point extra time and three missed field goals apiece from halves Stacey Jones and Cooper Cronk, the sides couldn't be separated at a wet, chilly Olympic Park.

The Warriors had two golden chances to clinch it. The first, 2min into extra time, fell to Jones, who had a point blank opportunity to repeat his matchwinner against the Roosters a week earlier but slammed it against the left upright.

Then, with 21 seconds left in extra time, Jones fumbled a low pass and flicked on to Lance Hohaia, who drilled the field goal only for Archer to consult video referee Tim Mander.

He ruled Jones knocked on after viewing endless replays, a scrum was packed and the siren sounded, leaving the Warriors with a valuable competition point but ruing what might have been.

Cleary was adamant Archer should have called a penalty.

"What you see in the golden point is no decisions made really," Cleary said.

"Even right at the end there I think the pass to Stacey probably ended up around his ankles because there were blokes lying on the ruck.

"I looked back to the play-the-ball and there's blokes lying all over it and we just couldn't get any decent ball there. I reckon with a decent pass out of there, maybe it's a different story."

Cleary also queried why Mander didn't give Jones the benefit of the doubt with the knock-on call.

"It looked like a lot of replays so there must have been some doubt."

It was a second consecutive Australian match where Cleary felt officials cost his team.

A fortnight ago in Newcastle he was angry after Knights star Kurt Gidley wasn't sinbinned for an early tackle on Denan Kemp as the Warriors lost by two points.

Price was also frustrated at Archer for not referring the play-the-ball incident to Mander despite his numerous pleas.

"I thought the pass would have been very accurate if there wasn't someone lying in the play-the-ball but there haven't been too many penalties given in golden-point time," Price said.

"I don't know whether it's something they're not game enough to do, or whether it's just the way it goes."

The match continued the intense rivalry between the sides who were seventh and eighth on the NRL ladder, separated only by a points differential of six. The Warriors won their previous two clashes by a combined five points.

With Cronk and new recruit Brett Finch directing the Storm, the visitors trailed 6-14 early in the second half but a double from winger Manu Vatuvei, who twice steamrolled his opposite Steve Turner, sparked their fightback.

"I felt like we had the better of it towards the end of the game but it just wasn't to be. I was really happy with the performance," said Cleary, whose side face another tough away match against St George-Illawarra next Sunday.

Warriors workhorse Micheal Luck epitomised the defensive effort with a staggering 72 tackles, according to official NRL statistics.

"Both teams had plenty of ball and the ball was in play for a long time so I suppose if they run at you, you've got to tackle them," Luck said.

There were also try-saving tackles from Jones and Jacob Lillyman, the former leaving Storm winger Anthony Quinn heavily concussed and convulsing after his head hit Simon Mannering's knee.

Play was held up for nearly 10min before Quinn was taken to hospital by ambulance, but a Storm spokesman said he appeared to be making a fast recovery.

- NZPA