Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam was left to ask ‘what are we doing?’ following a number of controversial calls in his side’s 22-22 draw with Hull FC on Thursday night. The Leopards took the lead three times in the game at the MKM Stadium but failed to see off the Black and Whites at the MKM Stadium with a number of bizarre calls being made by the team of officials.
Leigh were the beneficiaries of some soft calls from referee Tom Grant and video referee Jack Smith, with Aidan Sezer and Jordan Rapana being sin-binned in the first half for high contact. However, a late try from Lewis Martin surprisingly stood, despite the winger’s foot appearing to be in touch as the ball made contact the green of the in-goal area.
That set up golden point in East Yorkshire but even that was marred with controversy, with Tom Briscoe adjudged to have taken a Lachlan Lam kick off out of play, despite his foot appearing to be on the line. John Cartwright voiced his confusion with the call, but Lam certainly didn’t mince his words.
“Not a try, never a try in a million years,” the Leigh boss said when asked by Serious About Rugby League about Martin’s try against the Leopards. “I’ve looked at the video a hundred times and the foot’s out.
“What are we doing? My job’s on the line when we don’t get those decisions right. The kick out, Lachy Lam’s kick out, it goes out on the full. Everyone in rugby league knows that’s out on the full. What are we doing?”
He continued: “Everyone in the world can see that, what’s inconclusive there? I thought Hull were awesome right, but in the decision making when they went to the captain’s challenge, if it’s inconclusive, isn’t that unsuccessful? Don’t you lose the challenge then? How can it be inconclusive?
“Maybe if the third ref can’t get it right, maybe they can pass it on to another ref in another box and let them make the decision. If it’s inconclusive there, why don’t we go to an eye in the sky and let them make the decision.”
On the game itself, Lam concluded that a draw, as controversial as it was, was probably a fair result.
“It’s better that than a loss, they had a goalkick to win the game at full-time there and if that had gone over it would have been pretty disappointing,” Lam added. “We’ve gone from a six-day tough game into a five-day turnaround and travel, it’s tough on the team to aim up and be the team you want to be. That’s always difficult before you take the field but I guess in the end it’s probably a fair result.
“We hardly trained just to try and save the bodies on the five-day turnaround. I’m proud of the players, I thought we’d won the game three or four times and when you’re in front at half-time. Credit to Hull, I think they showed courage and they were awesome tonight.
“They couldn’t have done more and that’s why I think it’s fair with the sharing of the points.”
The point came at a price for Leigh Leopards, too, with Gareth O’Brien failing a HIA and it’s fair to say his presence was missed in golden point, with Lachlan Lam missing three attempts at a drop goal.
“He failed his HIA so he’ll miss next week but he’ll be back for the Hull KR game,” Lam added on his scrum-half.
