Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad had a monster for Canberra on Friday night when he defeated the Roosters, but some believe he was lucky enough to get away with a try-saving duel that left Roosters fans feeling robbed.
The full-back battled painful leg cramps late in the semifinals but was one of the Green Machine’s best in their 22:18 win, running 276m – most of all players on the floor.
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Nicoll-Klokstad’s biggest game took place in the 66th minute when he took cover to bundle Josh Morris a meter from the tryline when the Roosters Center scored a sure goal after an overlap on the left edge.
The Raiders were leading 16-12 at the time, but if Morris had crossed they could have lost two.
The commentators were in awe of the try-saver, but the roosters were filthy and believed the tackle was high. A dusty morris clutched his head in pain as he lay on the grass and Captain Jake Friend blew up the referee and went straight to the whistleblower to complain.
“How’s that not a high tackle?” Friend asked Ashley Klein. “He’s got it around his neck.”
When a replay of the incident was played on the SCG’s big screen, the rooster-dominated crowd exploded and booed loudly.
They didn’t have an ally in former Wallabies star Quade Cooper, however. The rugby union player praised the way the game was allowed to continue for a fair game.
“I love our game, but that tackle against one of the Morris twins in Union would have resulted in a red card and 6-8 weeks on the sidelines,” tweeted Cooper. “Rugby League no penalty or interruption and the game continues,” he added emoji with clapping hands.
Daily telegraph Photographer Phil Hillyard captured the moment perfectly and asked his Twitter followers whether the Raiders should have been punished.
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Racing presenter Tim Carroll endorsed Friend and tweeted, “Morris should have put his head up around his neck trying to score. Terrible to miss that. JWH was dressed in the center for the exact same device. You got it wrong. “
Fox League commentator Dan Ginnane said, watching the replay, “One of the big finals, but is it legal?”
Nicoll-Klokstad spoke about his tackle with Channel 9 after the game and said, “I was only hoping for the best and luckily I got a piece from him.”
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