Shane Flanagan Voices Disagreement Over Referee’s Forward Pass Decision Following Tyrell Sloan’s Disallowed Try

Dragons coach Shane Flanagan expressed his frustration over a contentious forward pass decision that denied the Red V an early try during their narrow 28-24 defeat to the Raiders on Saturday night.

Although this decision was made early in the contest, it ultimately played a pivotal role in the closely contested match.

The Dragons suffered a setback when fullback Tyrell Sloan seemed to score the opening try in the corner, only for it to be overturned.

The touchy ruling was attributed to a forward pass from teammate Moses Suli leading up to the try.

However, both fans and analysts questioned the decision, suggesting that the pass appeared flat and seemed to travel backward.

“I thought it was fine, a significant call,” legendary halfback Cooper Cronk remarked during the Fox League commentary.

Flanagan firmly believed that his team would have clinched the victory had it not been for a series of unfortunate events.

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In his post-match media address, Flanagan delivered a measured comment on falling short against the league leaders.

“It’s fortunate that new rules are coming into effect for press conferences, otherwise, I’d be facing a fine,” he quipped.

When probed about the forward pass decision impacting Sloan’s try, Flanagan did not hold back.

This season, the NRL has tightened regulations surrounding comments made by coaches and players pertaining to referees and officiating during post-match media sessions, interviews, and social media.

“Everyone knows what the issue was,” Flanagan stated. “It’s tough when you’re competing against a top team like the Raiders; they tend to get the lucky breaks, which is deserved because they’re currently leading the table.

“For a side like ours, sitting in the middle of the standings, it sometimes feels like the luck doesn’t fall our way.

“Ultimately, that made the difference in the game.”

The loss places the Dragons in 11th position on the league ladder, two points shy of the top eight. Nevertheless, Flanagan remains optimistic about his team’s chances for a finals berth.

“If we can maintain that level of effort and commitment consistently, we will win more games moving forward,” he noted.

“Facing the Raiders, who are top of the table, we proved we could almost secure a win.

“We were close, but circumstances worked against us, and I have respect for Ricky [Stuart] and the Raiders for holding firm — that’s what strong teams do.

“We just have to keep pushing through for the rest of the season.”

Sloan concluded the match with two tries to his name.