A last-minute try by Reece Walsh had everyone including coach Michael Maguire in awe as the Brisbane Broncos looked to have broken the hearts of a visiting Eels outfit.
But within seconds of referee Todd Smith awarding the try on-field, it was called to the Bunker to review the positioning of Walsh in the lead up to the try.
Maguire was seen laughing and smiling in the coaches box as the review unfolded but his emotions quickly turned as the Bunker’s findings were confirmed.
Relayed by Smith to the playing group, the Bunker found Walsh was in front of Gehamat Shibasaki when the ball was kicked and then fumbled by Eels fullback Joash Papalii in attempt to collect it.
“Wow. That is heartbreaking for the Broncos,” Phil Gould said.
“This is when rugby league is not a funny game. It is serious business.”
Walsh’s face summed up the emotions of the Broncos as they returned to play out the final 44 seconds of the half, but Ben Hunt admitted he had hopes it would be upheld.
“It was a bit disappointing,” he told Nine of the disallowed try.
“Live I definitely thought it was a try but then you look back at it.
“Again, I thought last night if (James Tedesco) Teddy’s was a try that we were a bit of a chance there.”
The try Hunt was referring to occurred in Thursday night’s clash between the Roosters and the Storm, with Tedesco awarded a try despite being in a clear offside position.
A review by video official Chris Butler cleared Tedesco’s efforts, while league greats Andrew Johns and Johnathan Thurston were left stunned by the decision.
Eels gun Zac Lomax said his heart sunk as he watched Walsh stride over the line.
“It felt exactly how you think it felt like,” he told Nine.
“Then as soon as it went upstairs it was like ‘Oh, thank god’.
“Sometimes it goes that way and sometimes it doesn’t but thank god we were on the right end of the stick that time.”
Brisbane’s hunt to cement a spot inside the top four is now under a seriously dark cloud, with Hunt insisting he does not believe the team “deserved to win” against the Eels.
“They played a real good brand of footy tonight,” Hunt said.
“We just gave them too many opportunities … and they capitalised on it.
“We probably didn’t deserve to win tonight. We made too many errors, we let kicks bounce all night. We just need to be better.”
Maguire added in his press conference: “What we got caught tonight was you need to do it for an 80-minute period.
“It goes right to the death of the game and it can go the other way. We have to be doing the hard yards and hard parts of the game for longer periods of time.”
