Dream moment for Trbojevic brothers spoiled by ‘terrible’ call

Ben Trbojevic, the younger brother of superstar fullback Tom, was cruelly denied his first try in the NRL by a “terrible” decision during Manly’s record-breaking victory over the Canterbury Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.

The Sea Eagles were leading 54-0 in the 67th minute when the elder Trbojevic created a line break off the kick-off and Brad Parker sprinted along the left wing hunting for Manly’s ninth try.

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After Parker passed back infield, Manly forward Karl Lawton awkwardly offloaded the footy to Trbojevic, who ran through towards the try line.

But rather than diving over for his fourth four-pointer, he flicked the ball towards his younger brother, who completed the 100m team effort.

Ben Trbojevic of the Sea Eagles celebrates his first try in the NRL.Source:Getty Images

However, referee Gerard Sutton called for a Bunker review and the try was ultimately disallowed due to an obstruction incident back in Manly’s defensive 20m.

“Oh no,” Fox League commentator Matt Russell cried.

“A wonderful moment, it’s not about to be spoiled is it by an obstruction?”

Tom threw his head back in frustration when Sutton handed down the verdict – his younger brother will have to wait a bit longer for that coveted maiden try.

“Pretty disappointing they took it off him, I didn’t think it was an obstruction,” Trbojevic told ABC Grandstand after the match.

“It would have been nice to get him a try, but not to be.”

Rugby league icon Phil Gould tweeted: “What a lovely moment … spoiled by a terrible decision.”

This was the try that was disallowed… would have been great. #NRLBulldogsManlypic.twitter.com/9VxTfHIaxw

Trbojevic and Manly teammate Jason Saab both scored hat-tricks during the 66-0 drubbing of Canterbury in Round 16.

The Bulldogs were made to look foolish as the classy Sea Eagles backline ran rings around their opponents at Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium.

It goes down as the club’s biggest ever victory, bettering their 63-point winning margin over Penrith in 1973.

Trbojevic has scored 14 tries in nine games so far this season, and 18 in just 11 appearances if you include his heroics for New South Wales in the State of Origin series.

At one stage, the Bulldogs resorted to taking Tom out illegally, with centre Will Hopoate sin-binned for tackling the Manly fullback while in support in the second half.

“I don’t think we’ve seen a player in the history of our game put together performances like this back to back,” champion halfback Cooper Cronk told Fox League.

“He is out of this world at the moment.”

Cronulla great Michael Ennis agreed: “The skill level and the confidence with which Tom Trbojevic is playing with at the moment and the class of DCE, they can’t handle them.”

Trbojevic, who has catapulted into Dally M calculations despite missing the opening five games of the season, finished the match with three tries, two try assists and three line break assists.

Ben Trbojevic celebrates with his brother Tom.Source:Getty Images

For Canterbury, it’s rock bottom.

The match marked the ninth occasion this season the Bulldogs had conceded more than 30 points, the seventh time they had gone into halftime scoreless and the fourth they’d finished a game with zero points.

The hiding is their third-worst in club history, and their worst since an 87-7 walloping from Eastern Suburbs in 1935, while simultaneously killing their points differential enough to sink them below Brisbane to last spot.

“I feel sorry for them,” Ennis told Fox League.

“I think they came with a plan to try and jam and try and shut down DCE and Tom and take away their time.

“But they have simply been outclassed.

“Their edges were trying to do what they had practised by the looks of things, but it is not working.”

Manly will next host the Canberra Raiders on Thursday evening, while the Bulldogs will take on the Sydney Roosters next Saturday evening.

– with NCA NewsWire

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