‘Which part was penalised?’: Fitzgibbon bites tongue over match-defining decision

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon has questioned the 79th minute penalty called against prop Royce Hunt which led to the Warriors’ matchwinning penalty goal.

Referee Ben Cummins penalised Hunt for a push on Warriors forward Josh Curran as players scrambled for a loose ball in the dying moments of the game.

Fitzgibbon told journalists in his post-match press conference he “didn’t know what happened” when the 27-year-old was penalised.

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“I’m unsure what happened there, I’m interested in having a look at that again,” Fitzgibbon said.

“When I looked at it at the time it happened, well I’m not quite sure. Which part was penalised?”

The penalty gave the Warriors a shot for goal from 35 metres out with 30 seconds left as the score sat at 30-30.

Veteran halfback Shaun Johnson stepped up and nailed then penalty goal after scoring a providing two try assists.

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Cronulla also had a late shot at goal from a penalty to level the scores after 80 minutes, but Nicho Hynes was unable to convert.

Fitzgibbon also slammed his side’s execution and “poor fundamentals” as the Sharks let the Warriors back in the game with “simple errors” on multiple occasions after holding a 20-0 lead after 19 minutes.

“I’m really disappointed in our fundamentals,” Fitzgibbon said.

“We invited them back into the game with simple errors and simple play the ball mistakes. Three errors turned into points for them and all of a sudden it’s game on.

“It’s really frustrating when you train at it, you work on it and it doesn’t translate on game day.”