'From above': Fuming Grant slams vital Walsh call

Melbourne captain Harry Grant hit out after Sunday night's NRL grand final over the decision to not send Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh to the sin bin for a high shot.

Walsh collected Storm winger Xavier Coates flush in the head with his left shoulder in the 20th minute, at which point Melbourne was leading 12-6, but referee Grant Atkins only blew a penalty and placed Walsh on report.

On Monday night, 9News ran an exclusive interview with Grant in which the Melbourne hooker indicated he would "ask some questions" of the decision to not send Walsh to the sin bin.

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Brisbane staged a thunderous comeback to win the grand final 26-22, but the night may have panned out far differently had Walsh been forced off the field for 10 minutes.

Grant noted in his interview with 9News that he was sin-binned for a high shot on Canterbury back-rower Harry Hayes in round 25.

He also noted he received a two-match ban for that incident.

"I got sin-binned a couple of weeks ago and got two weeks for bugger all ... and then we come out and do that [in the grand final]," Grant said, speaking to 9News on the field at full-time.

"In saying that, that's probably not Grant's call; that's probably coming from above Grant.

"We can give him a break on that — but we can probably ask some questions a little bit deeper."

Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns said on the Nine broadcast as replays of the Walsh high tackle were shown: "We've seen all year this is a sin-bin."

Nine caller Mat Thompson suggested it may have been a sin-bin "if it wasn't a grand final", to which Johns replied: "One-hundred per cent."

Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston described Walsh's game as "the greatest individual grand final performance I've seen".

The superstar Broncos fullback was inevitably awarded the Clive Churchill Medal.

He was offered a $3000 fine for the high shot with an early guilty plea.

After venting about the decision to not put Walsh in the sin bin, Grant commended Brisbane on its performance when he sat down for Melbourne's post-match press conference.

"We created a few opportunities in the second half, but they were there to stop it and we just didn't take advantage," Grant said.

"We were on the back foot a lot of that second half but we still managed to find ways to give ourselves a sniff.

"Credit to the Broncos in the way they turned up and owned their moments."