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Canberra was on the receiving-end of a controversial call against the Roosters, with five-eighth Luke Keary awarded a penalty try in the first half on Saturday.
In the opening 20 minutes of the clash at GIO Stadium, Keary pounced on a grubber kick from halves partner Sam Walker, seemingly scoring a simple try next to the posts.
However, replays showed Keary bobble the ball as he was placing it down in the in-goal area, with on-field official Todd Smith sending it upstairs.
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While it was determined Keary had failed to ground the ball, the Bunker awarded him a penalty try after Morgan Smithies illegally grabbed him in the lead-up.
Raiders skipper Elliott Whitehead pleaded with Smith on the field, who explained that Keary would have more than likely scored if not for the interference.
“He was still first to the ball … he was the only one near the ball,” Greg Alexander said during the Fox League broadcast.
“He barely grazes him – I don’t think it affects anything that happens after he grabbed him by the arm slightly, because he quickly got himself back on-track.”
Alexander also conceded it was ‘hard to disagree’ with Whitehead’s argument.
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The crowd in Canberra were also left fuming, with loud boos ringing out through the stadium as the Green Machine were left reeling.
The visitors started in red-hot form in the nation’s capital, with Victor Radley crossing for an early try in his new role on the edge before Keary’s four-pointer.
Nick Cotric’s try in the 15th minute got the Raiders back in the contest, but Joey Manu crossed before the break to extend the lead for the Tricolours.
The second half was dominated by the Roosters, who ran away with a 44-16 victory on the road as the likes of James Tedesco and Angus Crichton starred.
Speaking post-game, head coach Ricky Stuart admitted his side’s performance wasn’t up to scratch and blasted their defence.
“It was very disappointing,” he said.
“They’re probably one of the benchmark teams of the comp – if you have a look at the wonderful talent you have in their team, you can’t miss 60 tackles – that’s on us.”
Whitehead echoed the sentiments of his coach.
“They got off to a good start and we couldn’t stop their momentum,” the captain said.
“I feel sorry for the fans that turned up, we had a big crowd there and it was an embarrassing performance.”
