Brisbane captain Darius Boyd has admitted after his side’s controversial 9-7 golden-point win over Wests Tigers that even he was unsure what the match-deciding penalty was for.
The Tigers were left furious after second-rower Robbie Rochow was ruled to have not been square at marker before he attempted to pressure Broncos’ field goal taker Jamayne Isaako in the second-half of extra-time.
Replays appeared to show Rochow was fine at marker and that his teammate Pita Godinet was instead out of position but not involved in the following play.
Tigers coach Ivan Cleary claimed after the match that Brisbane’s players looked embarrassed to win the match via the ensuring penalty goal, the victory ending his club’s giant-killing start to the season.
And Boyd – speaking before Cleary – admitted after the match he was still unsure what the root of the penalty was.
“I’m not sure what the penalty was for,” Boyd said.
“Was it offside or the markers leaving early or something like that?
“It’s a tough one but at the end of the day it was awarded and I’m glad we kicked the goal. We’re on the good side of it.”
Rochow himself was also unsure following the match whether he was the man who had been penalised or what the offence actually was.
“To be honest we’re just a bit confused. We thought we were offside or we didn’t know,” co-captain Russell Packer said.
“It seemed to me like Robbie was onside.
“But at the end of the day it was the ref’s decision and it was out of our hands. It was a valiant effort from the boys.
“We didn’t play well enough tonight but we showed a lot of grit and character to be there and take it to golden point.”
The penalty capped off a controversial night after Brisbane’s penalty goal to level the scores 6-6 late in regular time – before both sides kicked field goals – was also shrouded in controversy.
Replays indicated Isaako’s foot touched the sideline before he offloaded a ball back to Boyd, who then earned a penalty following a second effort from Chris Lawrence.
Regardless, Cleary said his team had plenty to take from the match after they became the first team since Illawarra in 1993 to lose without conceding a try.
“It’s really hard. Everyone is a bit stunned how the whole thing finished,” he said.
“There was some really good signs in terms of building the foundation for the team, the way we defended. We didn’t concede a try.
“A draw is probably a fair result I would have thought.”