The Wests Tigers benefited from a few fortunate moments in their dramatic victory on Saturday night, leaving Dragons coach Shane Flanagan baffled by how his team let the game slip.
A critical turning point came just before halftime when Dragons forward Jaydn Su’A inexplicably bombed a near-certain try. However, fans also questioned a controversial first-half try by Tigers winger Charlie Staines, which appeared to follow an uncalled offside infringement.
Both sides exchanged early tries in a tightly contested start, with Adam Doueihi’s goal-kicking giving the Tigers a narrow 12-10 advantage. That lead grew when Doueihi was involved in a try-scoring play that raised eyebrows. He appeared to be offside when he collected a cross-field kick from Jarome Luai, yet play continued, and the Tigers shifted the ball for Staines to finish in the corner.
Commentator Andrew Voss noted Luai had delayed the kick, creating the impression that his teammates may have been ahead of the play. Despite replays suggesting Doueihi was in front of Luai at the time of the kick, the Bunker saw no clear evidence to overturn the decision, prompting frustration online from viewers convinced the try should not have stood.
The Tigers then stretched their lead to 10 points after Samuela Fainu added another try. Although Dragons co-captain Clint Gutherson did well to stop a 40/20 from Api Koroisau, the Red V looked set to swing momentum their way just before the break.
That was until Su’A’s stunning error. With a clear path to the line thanks to a three-man overlap, he dived in to score but lost control of the ball in the in-goal area. Tigers fullback Jahream Bula then pounced on the loose ball and ran the length of the field to score, turning what should have been a Dragons try into a game-changing moment for the Tigers.
Fans dubbed it one of the biggest blunders in NRL history, and Flanagan admitted it shifted the course of the match. “It was a massive moment,” he said. “If we go into halftime at 20-16, we’re in a much stronger position. But we didn’t take our chances.”
Flanagan praised his team’s resilience in the second half after they rallied from a 16-point deficit to bring the game back to 26-20 but lamented missed opportunities late in the match.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall acknowledged his team had luck on their side but wasn’t entirely satisfied with their performance. “I’m happy we won, but I’m also frustrated with the errors. Su’A should’ve scored, but credit to Jahream for reacting and turning it into something. You’ve got to make your own luck,” Marshall said.
Ultimately, too many unforced mistakes proved costly for the Dragons, whose hopes were undone by one extraordinary error, while the Tigers celebrated a win that pushed them into the top eight with their fifth victory of the season.
