A controversial no-try to South Sydney powerhouse Dave Taylor has denied the Rabbitohs a potential upset victory in their 16-6 NRL loss to Melbourne at ANZ Stadium.
Taylor looked to have claimed his second try of the match in the 63rd minute, when he ignored the attention of several Storm defenders to reach out and plant the ball to the left of the posts with South Sydney trailing 10-6.
But referee Ben Cummins chose not to send the try upstairs to video referee Paul Simpkins, ruling on the spot that Taylor had grounded the ball short and then lost it.
Souths coach John Lang says the decision to not check the try at such a crucial moment in the match could potentially be "the worst blunder of the season".
Before being denied a potential match-winning try, Taylor - who was on the field for the full 80 minutes - looked to have played himself into a Queensland State of Origin jersey with a barnstorming performance.
The 118kg backrower scored the match's opening try when he leapt above teammate Greg Inglis, who made a successful comeback from a hip injury, and Melbourne's Maurice Blair to snatch a Chris Sandow bomb in the 8th minute.
But his efforts were outweighed by soft tries at the other end of the field to Blair and prop Jesse Bromwich in the first half, and another weak defensive effort on Melbourne captain Cameron Smith, who sealed the game with a try from dummy-half in the 77th minute.
The win keeps the Storm in second place while the loss drops Souths to 12th on the NRL ladder.