Match Details
Match Date	3rd May, 2018
Opponent	Brisbane
Result	Loss 20-22
Coach	Dean Pay
Captain	Josh Jackson
Venue	Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
Crowd	22,225
Referee	Gerard Sutton Chris Sutton

Canterbury’s final hopes may have been buried with a controversial penalty call at Suncorp Stadium that condemned them to a last gasp loss to Brisbane.

With scores locked at 20-20, Dogs fullback Moses Mbye was sin-binned for a professional foul on Darius Boyd as the Brisbane captain chased a James Roberts kick into the in-goal.

Boyd immediately appealed for the penalty and Mbye was ruled to have impeded the chase. He was marched from the field before Jamayne Isaako slotted over the match-winner on the stroke of fulltime to give the Broncos victory.

Replays showed Mbye did make contact with Boyd but it’s debatable whether he held back his opposite number. What seemed destined for a drop-out and extra time then became a routine penalty kick from in front of the posts.

Referees have been far more willing to use the sin bin this season. Whether they got it right this time will no doubt occupy the NRL news cycle until the next questionable decision across the weekend.

Either way, this was a game the Bulldogs looked to have every chance of stealing. They were up by six with 15 minutes to play and Brisbane down on numbers after star youngster Payne Haas was sent to La-La Land by Bulldogs big man David Klemmer.

Haas will never forget his NRL debut, but he’ll be lucky to remember anything about the sequel after being levelled by Klemmer and stumbling off the ground with assistance from medical staff.

His 20-minute cameo last week was the talk of the code but he could only manage six minutes in his second outing. Hundred-gamer Klemmer lined him up the moment he set foot on the field and would win the battle on this occasion.

Haas made it to his feet but was so unsteady he needed to be held upright by Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Andrew McCullough before trainers arrived to escort him down the tunnel. He was no chance of returning and may yet miss a week given the severity of his symptoms.

Brisbane looked flat in the first half and trailed 14-6 at the break. But some wizardry from Anthony Milford ensured the Broncos got themselves back into the contest soon after the resumption of play.

Klemmer’s performance came at a good time with Origin selection around the corner but it was a tough night for Boyd, who is playing like a man without confidence, fumbling a number of balls.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

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