AAMI Park erupted in a chorus of boos after Melbourne Storm captain Harry Grant was sent to the sin bin for making contact with the kicking leg of Sharks five-eighth Daniel Atkinson on Saturday evening.
In the 36th minute of the Round 10 contest, the Sharks were awarded a penalty after Grant charged at Atkinson and grazed his leg during the kicking motion.
Grant was left utterly bemused when referee Grant Atkins put him on report and sent him to the sin bin for the misdemeanour, prompting loud boos from the Melbourne crowd.
“That look from Harry Grant tells you everything you need to know,” commentator Dan Ginnane said on Fox League in what he later described a “line in the sand moment”.
Atkinson appeared to wink at his teammates as the Storm hooker ran off the field.
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The Sharks, who were trailing by six points at the time, rubbed salt into the wounds a couple of minutes later when prop Oregon Kaufusi barged through for a try.
“It’s unintentional, but the game set a precedent,” Canberra Raiders legend Mal Meninga said on Fox League.
“You can’t touch the legs of a kicker.
“I know it’s harsh, but the rules are the rules.”
Six-time premiership winner Cooper Cronk continued: “I understand why they’re trying to doing it.
“It was a huge turning point.
“There was zero intent, with hardly any aggression involved.”
The scores were tied at 12-12 at half-time.
Source Agencies
