Tigers cruelled as Reynolds, Burgess lead Souths to golden-point win

Wests Tigers came agonisingly close to the upset of the NRL season after going toe-to-toe with heavyweights South Sydney in an 18-14 golden point epic on Saturday night.

With the scores locked at 14-all, Souths forward Tom Burgess broke through to score under the posts in extra time but referee Gerard Sutton called play on after it appeared he knocked on.

Luke Brooks looked to have the fairytale finish as he scooped up the ball and raced to score at the other end before it was cruelly ripped away when the bunker confirmed Burgess’s try.

The Tigers were down to 12 men for the first golden point game of the season after centre Tommy Taulau was sin-binned for a professional foul with just three minutes to go.

By then both sides were frantic with scores locked at 14-all when halfback Adam Reynolds missed the penalty that would have put them in the lead.

With six minutes to go he’d pulled off the play of the season with a two-point drop goal from 42 metres out when his side had trailed 14-12 to set up the berserk finish.

However, Tigers coach Michael Maguire believes it never should have got that far and called for better Bunker intervention after two incidents involving Latrell Mitchell.

A dazzling dance down the sidelines revived the Rabbitohs while they were down 14-6 before Mitchell was stopped by Tigers forward Luke Garner.

Souths scored just two minutes later to set up the frenzied finish, but the Tigers were left fuming after Mitchell lashed out with his leg at Garner’s head to shake his grip.

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Mitchell also appeared to touch the sideline with his heel before starting his run.

“I’m sure there was a foot that touched the white line,” Maguire said.

“Garns ended up copping a boot there at one stage and the technology in the game can refer to that.

“We end up down the other end and get a penalty against us.

“Those sorts of things are massive momentum changes and that hurts tonight in that result with the technology we’ve got, we’ve got to be using that.

“Who knows where the game could have gone if that changes.”

Mitchell is already facing time on the sidelines after being placed on report for a shot on David Nofoaluma in the first half.

The star fullback hit Nofoaluma late and high with a swinging forearm to the head after the Tigers winger chipped through for Daine Laurie for their first try of the night.

However, it was Reynolds’ second two-point field goal of the season that set up the frenzied finish.

“I love Peter’s (V’Landys’) new rule, it was made for us,” Souths coach Wayne Bennett said.

“It was ideal, one point wasn’t going to get us there, he snapped it and away he went.”

The loss was cruel but it showed a much-improved Tigers defence.

Not since a 48-0 win over Brisbane in round 10 last year had the Tigers kept an opposition to less than 20 points.

It was a sharp turn around from last week when the Tigers were booed off the field from their own fans at Leichhardt Oval after trailing North Queensland 28-6 at halftime.