Melbourne Storm and Queensland Maroons hooker Harry Grant will seek answers from the NRL after he was penalised for passing the ball into an offside player during Thursday night's narrow win over the Parramatta Eels.
In the closing stages of the game, Grant was pinged for, according to referee Gerard Sutton, intentionally passing the ball into an offside Parramatta defender who was on the ground next to the ruck.
The game made the rules clear some years ago now, in a change from convention, that players intentionally passing the ball into an offside player who had made a tackle would be penalised instead of the other way around.
It followed an almost epidemic level of dummy half players intentionally picking out otherwise out-of-the-way defenders.
Eyebrows have been raised on some occasions this year, though, when penalties went back the other way to the offside player's team, including one in State of Origin.
On that occasion, it appeared as if the offside defender was out of sight from the dummy half, though and instead ran through the play the ball.
But Grant nonetheless said after the loss to Parramatta that he would be seeking clarity from the NRL.
“Maybe that's something through the week we can have a conversation and get some real understanding about,” Grant said during the Storm's post-game press conference, where coach Craig Bellamy also admitted his side were far from their best in the clunky victory.
“We're in a position to take a field goal there and... there was a lot of it in the game.
“It's probably something we can ask the question about and then have a real understanding, and then go from there.”
The penalty, which cost Melbourne a chance at kicking a field goal that would have increased the lead to seven points in the dying stages, didn't ultimately change the result of the contest.
Bellamy himself admitted he had a view on the penalty, but didn't want to present it. Multiple coaches have been warned over referee criticism this year.
The coach, instead, was more interested in his own side's performance, admitting his side didn't play well.
“It was a bit close for comfort,” the veteran head coach said.
“We weren't really playing that well or sticking with what we'd be doing in that situation. A couple of times we went away from that, so we just need to have a look at that.
“We were fortunate enough to get out of it tonight, but if you keep doing that, it's not going to help you.
“We know there's some things we'll need to do differently or it's not going to work in six weeks' time.”
It was Melbourne's first game without Jahrome Hughes as halfback, with the New Zealand international needing at least six weeks on the sidelines to recover from a shoulder dislocation.
He won't be seen again until the NRL finals, with the club instead using Tyran Wishart at halfback last night, while Jonah Pezet is a contender to come into the starting side next week after playing from the bench last night.
The Storm are still expected to finish in the top four, and could push for a top-two spot on the run home with a strong run of form.
They clash with the Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers, Canterbury Bulldogs, Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos again during what is a tricky final five weeks of the season.
