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“That’s ridiculous”: Game-altering decision in Storm win called out
Nicholas Quinlan • August 15th, 2025 9:32 am
SEN’s Jimmy Smith, Tim Mannah and Matt Russell have given their reaction to the decision to award a blocking penalty against the Penrith Panthers that would deny them their 10th straight win.
It was a nail-biting finish between the two sides, with the match going to golden point, where Harry Grant would score the winning try for the Melbourne Storm to win 22-18 after being down 12-4 at halftime at Commbank Stadium on Thursday night.
But despite the exciting finish, it was not devoid of a perceived umpiring mistake.
In the last three minutes of the match, Nathan Cleary looked to have won another game for Penrith with a field goal to give the Panthers a 19-18 lead.
But the score was ruled off with referee Ashley Klein ruling that Moses Leota had blocked Harry Grant from trying to charge down Cleary’s attempt.
And despite the four-time premiership player using a captain’s challenge to try and get the decision reversed, it would be to no avail.
To pour salt on the wound, it would be Grant to score the winning try in golden point with a dummy pass that parted the Penrith defence.
Reacting to the decision as it happened, Mannah could not believe what he was seeing as he wondered how Klein came to the conclusion that Leota blocked Grant.
“Oh, come on. That’s ridiculous,” Mannah exclaimed.
“Harry wasn’t even going for the ball. I don’t agree with that at all.”
Fellow commentator Jimmy Smith was in agreement, believing that Grant went out of his way to make contact with the Panthers’ prop.
“I don’t know where Moses is meant to go,” Smith added.
“Harry ran into him, we’ve got the front on shot, Harry ran into him.
“He had to change his direction to run into Moses Leota. He’s hit him; it’s a dramatic fall from Harry Grant.
“Why wouldn’t we have a strong dollop of controversy into this game?”
And speaking with SEN League after the match, the Melbourne Storm captain felt that the decision was a fair one by the referees, noting that Panthers players had called out to Leota to move out of the way.
“I think they (Penrith) would understand,” Grant explained.
“I know the players at the time were saying, ‘Moses, get out of the road’. So, I think they are aware.
“Everyone in the game is aware. We’ve seen it numerous times throughout the year; that’s what’s been policed throughout the season.
“If they want to change them, come out and change them throughout the week and be nice and clear on it, and we won’t have that confusion.
“The refs policed what they have been policing, and hats off to them.”
However, Cleary was completely frustrated by the decision, adamant that Leota was not in a blocking position.
“If you’re defending a three-man and you play for the obstruction, then they don’t want that in the game, but for some reason, it’s different for a field goal,” he said in the press conference.
“I thought the blocking rule was brought in, so then people wouldn’t stand next to the play-the-ball. Moses wasn’t in that position.
“I don’t believe that everyone can get behind me on that field goal. And then essentially Harry played for it because he knew he was going to get the penalty.
“But I don’t think Moses moved at all either, so it was a pretty frustrating.”
While on SEN 1170 Breakfast, Matt Russell was short and concise in his feelings about the incident.
“The rule is if you are in between the ruck and the kicker and cause any deviation to the defender… case closed.”
