He has been under pressure for quite some time now, but David Furner can rest easy, albeit for a short period of time, after his Raiders side defeated the red-hot Melbourne Storm, in a game that was perhaps, the upset of the season.
Had the Raiders lost the game against the Storm, it would have been a club record that the team would not have been proud of, but to the Raiders credit, they outplayed and out-muscled the more well-known Storm side.
Blake Ferguson, the Raiders winger, who is more often than not far too inconsistent produced a touch of class, as he scored a brilliant solo effort, just as the Storm were getting back into the game.
The try was awarded, with video referee Paul Simpkins unsure if Ferguson’s boot had touched the sideline or not, hence, he made the call – benefit of the doubt.
“We needed to win,”, Furner said.
“They worked hard for that game. They showed tremendous character.
“But it’s about keeping our feet on the ground now.”‘
The match had some extra reward for the Raiders, with the club winning their first game in Melbourne since 2000, in which funnily enough, Furner was the Raiders captain at the time.
For Storm coach Craig Bellamy, it was the penalties that cost his side the game, and he lamented them, though he will take them up with Bill Harrigan this week.
“It was very disappointing but we got beat by a better side on the night,” he said.
“I thought they were really good, especially their second half. Their defence was good.
“We need to be make sure when we get our chances in games, we’re more effective and consistent with taking them.”
Dally M Points
3 Blake Ferguson
2 Josh McCrone
1 Kevin Proctor