Xavier Savage experienced a surprising moment during the Raiders’ impressive 50-point victory over the Eels in Darwin, as he was awarded a contentious penalty try in the 64th minute. The play unfolded when Josh Addo-Carr, just out of the sin bin for contacting Savage, inadvertently disrupted Savage’s pursuit of a grubber kick from Kaeo Weekes. Although Savage failed to control the bouncing ball, officials decided to review the incident with the Bunker.
As the video review progressed, it revealed that Addo-Carr’s slight interference had indeed hindered Savage’s chance to score. Bunker official Grant Atkins concluded that Addo-Carr’s actions slowed Savage’s run, stating, “In our opinion, (Savage) would have got to the ball before the Parramatta fullback and scored a try.”
Savage, taken aback by the decision, watched as his teammates prepared to add more points to their tally. Former league player Michael Ennis supported the Bunker’s verdict, suggesting that without the contact, Savage would have secured the ball before the bounce.
Regardless of the penalty try’s controversy, the Eels’ struggles continued, allowing the Raiders to score twice more through Matty Nicholson and Sebastian Kris, reaching the significant milestone of 50 points. The Raiders had established dominance early on, with Joseph Tapine scoring in the sixth minute, followed by Eels’ Dylan Brown equalising briefly.
However, Brown’s efforts quickly became overshadowed as Ethan Strange triggered a scoring spree for the Raiders, who saw further contributions from Hudson Young and Matthew Timoko, accumulating several tries before halftime.
In summary, the match highlighted both the contentious nature of officiating decisions in rugby league and the Raiders’ overwhelming performance against a struggling Eels side.