Freddy fumes at ref's 'dodgy' crucial Origin call

3 weeks ago 20

NSW manager Brad Fittler was fuming aft Origin III owed to a brace of "dodgy" calls that helped Queensland win.

The Maroons took what proved to beryllium a winning 20-12 pb successful the 64th infinitesimal erstwhile Ben Hunt scored a try. On the erstwhile tackle, Kalyn Ponga was not called by referee Gerard Sutton for a imaginable knock-on; successful which the shot fell good down the fast-moving Queensland fullback, yet whitethorn person gone forwards disconnected his hands aft helium botched a flick walk from winger Xavier Coates.

Fittler besides took contented with the lead-up to an aboriginal punishment extremity for Queensland, successful which Dane Gagai collided with Latrell Mitchell and some players whitethorn person knocked-on, yet thing was called.

Different refereeing decisions could person made each the quality successful a 20-18 NSW loss, which denied the Blues their archetypal Origin cleanable expanse since 2000.

"I deliberation a fewer things went their mode and I thought they took vantage of it. I thought they were beauteous good," Fittler said of Queensland successful his post-match property conference, having hammered the Maroons by a combined 76-6 successful the archetypal 2 games.

Kalyn Ponga spills the shot successful Origin III. It was ruled a knock-back, earlier a Ben Hunt try, but NSW felt that it was a knock-on. (Nine)

"There's a fewer decisions I thought were beauteous dodgy, weren't blessed with, but astatine the extremity of the day...

"I thought the Ponga 1 connected the right-hand broadside earlier the try, I thought that was a knock-on. I thought earlier the goal-kick, I thought Latrell got pushed successful the back, that led to their goal-kick.

"I thought they were ... I haven't seen the replay but erstwhile I archetypal saw the knock-on down the side, I thought that was an evident call."

Yet Fittler admitted that his squad inactive had capable opportunities to triumph towards the extremity of the match.

"We inactive had 3 sets connected their line, which we're much disappointed about. We couldn't score," Fittler said.

State of Origin Game 3 - Highlights

Fittler said his team's attacking struggles were truthful pronounced by the extremity of the lucifer that helium couldn't responsibility the determination to person Latrell Mitchell effort a perchance match-tying punishment extremity from beyond the halfway enactment successful the last 2 minutes.

The footwear fell abbreviated and was NSW's past due usage of the football, barring a azygous tackle wrong their ain fractional that ended the game.

"I wasn't surprised," Fittler said of the determination to instrumentality the punishment attempt.

"We'd had 3 sets connected their enactment and hadn't scored a try, truthful it wasn't a dumb decision. I was rather blessed with them backing themselves. I've been watching him (Mitchell) footwear goals for 3 weeks now, 50 (metres) is usually not his problem.

"I deliberation the mode we were attacking connected their enactment didn't springiness maine overmuch assurance we were going to people a effort anyway."

Sutton copped plentifulness of criticism for his Origin III refereeing performance, having fixed a upland of six-again calls. The punishment number ended 5-2 to Queensland.


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