Craig Bellamy freaked out in the coaches’ box after a controversial no-try decision nearly cost his team Melbourne Storm the win.

The NRL’s much-maligned bunker has largely managed to avoid the headlines this season, with better and quicker decisions being made across the board.

But a mistake late in the second half against the Brisbane Broncos robbed the Storm of a try that would have led to a 12-12 tie.

On-field referees went up to check the grip on a potential try by Will Chambers after returning Melbourne fullback Billy Slater fired his pass through a gap in the Broncos defence.

The original decision was no try and the first two angles appeared to show Chambers losing control of the football as he reached for the line.

The bunker’s decision was shown on the big screen and boos echoed through AAMI Park as Storm fans vented their frustration.

But that was just a prelude to Bellamy’s reaction, because the replays showed a third angle that seemed to show quite clearly that Chambers never completely lost control of the football.

Yes, he didn’t make it to the goal line, but his momentum carried him over the line and at no point was there any separation between the ball and his forearm.

All three commentators agreed, after careful consideration, that the try should have been given and Bellamy looked as if he was about to have a stroke as the flash of the camera in the trainers’ box was trained on him.

However, referee chief Tony Archer reviewed the incident after the match and said the bunker made the correct decision.

“I had the opportunity to fully review the decision,” Archer said on Friday.

“The decision that Will Chambers lost the ball just before the line was the right one.

“Further review of the live bunker decision that no attempt was made confirmed that Chambers’ hand had come off the ball while it was on the ground before the ball touched the goal line.”

Fortunately for the Storm, this did not matter, as a try from Josh Addo-Carr in the final minutes and a sideline conversion from captain Cameron Smith gave the hosts a 14-12 victory.