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Māori All Stars coach David Kidwell jumped man of the match James Fisher-Harris defense for conceding the penalty that earned the Australian Indigenous All Stars a 10-10 draw in Townsville.
Fisher-Harris won the Preston Campbell medal for best on the field Saturday night, but kicked himself for conceding the 79th minute for tackling the false half without the ball near the Māori All Stars try line.
That allowed indigenous star Latrell Mitchell to kick a goal to produce the first tied game in All Stars history with the teams sharing the Arthur Beetson Trophy.
“I told the guys this is my thing,” Fisher-Harris said at the postgame news conference.
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“I just made the wrong decision and tackled him without the ball, and we didn’t have the challenge of a captain and the overtime.
“That summed it up, but I thought I just left it all on the field, but that]grief]is for me.”
Ian Hitchcock / Getty Images
Jarome Luai of the Māori All Stars passes the ball.
Kidwell said Fisher-Harris cannot be blamed and praised Penrith middle forward and co-captain Joseph Tapine for leading the Maori group in the absence of Melbourne Storm stars Jesse Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
He said Fisher-Harris and Tapine had “tried so hard and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
“Before the game, I said I needed these two to step up and they both did.”
The indigenous team spent most of Saturday night’s game in Townsville playing from behind as the Maori advanced 10-2.
In his first bout since August, South Sydney star Mitchell led a spirited comeback.
Ian Hitchcock / Getty Images
Latrell Mitchell leads the indigenous ‘War Cry’. He took the penalty that earned his indigenous team a 10-10 draw with the Māori All Stars.
The defender provided the assist for his only attempt with a skillful kick to get Alex Johnston to score and then nailed the wing conversion to make it 10-8 in the 64th minute, setting up a final on the rostrum when the indigenous team threatened to overtake your rivals.
With his team desperately clinging to their lead in the final two minutes, Fisher-Harris was penalized for tackling the dead half without the ball right on his goal line and Mitchell leveled the score from the front.
The crowd of 20,206 roared to the indigenous side in one more attack, but the sound of the horn ended the game, with no extra time of gold points available in the preseason game.
After three memorable matchups between these two teams in the past three years, the record now stands at one win each and one draw.
Previously, the quiet presence and organization of veteran Benji Marshall looked to get the Maori on their way to support last year’s victory.
The Maori had most of the possession in the first half at 61 per cent, but were unable to capitalize, as errors totaled 17 for both sides in wet and slippery conditions.
Maori center Joseph Manu came close to scoring when he extended his arm from an inning on the last play of the first half, but lost control.
Ian Hitchcock / Getty Images
The Māori All Stars unite before the start of the NRL All Stars game.
One point of contention was Zane Musgrove’s sin in the 36th minute for a shoulder load on Tyrell Fuimaono. Round 1 of the NRL for West Tigers may be missed once you’re done with the judiciary.
The stalemate on the try was finally broken in the 49th minute with a sweet pass from Marshall to a Jordan Riki who crashed to the side of the posts with Patrick Herbert adding the extras.
In the 53rd minute, Manu intercepted a long pass from Jamal Fogarty and headed for the tryline at 70 meters.
Manu passed his captain because he had no legs and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored the Maori’s second try in five minutes.
Leading at 10-2, the Maori team seemed comfortable enough to get through the final quarter of the game, but when Mitchell returned to the field from a break, the situation changed.
Ian Hitchcock / Getty Images
Māori All Stars co-captain Joseph Tapine helped James Fisher-Harris lead the pack.
Indigenous coach Laurie Daley said she was proud of her team’s efforts in what was a grueling match.
“I mean of course we wanted to win, we would have loved to have won.
“I told our guys, we made it extremely difficult for ourselves. We didn’t have any good balls, we turned it over.
“We are very disciplined at times, but his commitment to defend and keep appearing was as good as I’ve seen.”
“But I think you just saw two passionate and proud cultures that just crumble to death.”
Both teams shared a bit of confusion in the final seconds of the match, as they weren’t sure if the golden point would come into play.
But for Maori coach David Kidwell, the outcome didn’t matter as much as the importance of entertaining the crowd and seeing the broader scope of the game.
“Both teams met, and when I mentioned that we are there to entertain, you know that was entertainment.
“At the end of the day, the game is there for both cultures, so we can be leaders in our communities, we can inspire young people and make sure that we are being good role models.
“It would have been nice to win it, but at the end of the day, you know there is a bigger picture and I think both cultures put that out tonight. I’m proud of my players.”
Take a look
ARTHUR BEETSON TROPHY MATCH IN TOWNSVILLE
Maori All Stars 10 (Jordan Riki, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak tries; Patrick Herbert goal) Australian Indian 10 (Attempt by Alex Johnston; Latrell Mitchell 3 goals).
Additional reporting material
