For the first 20 minutes of the game it did sound like commentator Stuart Pyke has had his whistling teeth fixed. Due to dental issues, he manages to spoil coverage of darts more than Rod Studd but is at least doing a reasonable job of making Bill Arthur sound adequate.

Thought Salford were a nicely balanced side, a good backline and a hard working pack just need a bit more performance consistency perhaps. Play any other team and there was going to be a win all over it, on that team performance salford should be a top 5 side still plenty of games left to make that happen.

I've no argument with it not being a try. My issue is everyone pinning a win or a lose on 1 element of a game out of the whole 80 minutes.

As for the rule book. That's the problem the ref is constrained by the rules.

Its not beyond reason to think that if saints had been denied that they would not have got another opportunity. The goal kick took the full minute and the play the balls were pedestrian.

Either way Salford did enough to win but that's not always the way it works out.

Except that in an evenly fought contest, a game that is won by that small margin - yes, win or lose is based on 1 element; Saints can hardly argue against that, given that last minute, clawed back wins are their raison d'aitre; Never Write Off and all that jazz?!

I have no skin in this particular game - but I hate to see a blood and guts, highly entertaining game like that won on a 100% erroneous decision - it's entirely unnecessary and damages the perception of the sport. If the ref had given the try live in play - fair do's - because it was at speed and he could be forgiven for missing the dropped ball; for the VR to give it after multiple replays was just unforgivable.

But it’s an easily fixed element of the game that doesn’t have to be wrong.
It’s not easy to get players to never make an error.
It’s not easy to get referees to never make an error.
It’s a piece of p|ss to to get video refs to never make an error.

Agreed. I reckon it's this season we have to go for broke because Watto can't keep pulling rabbits out of hats like he has been doing forever. Our budget right now for next season is painfully low I believe...