A controversial no-try to South Sydney powerhouse Dave Taylor has denied the Rabbitohs a potential upset victory in their 16-6 NRL loss to Melbourne at ANZ Stadium.

Taylor looked to have claimed his second try of the match in the 63rd minute, when he ignored the attention of several Storm defenders to reach out and plant the ball to the left of the posts with South Sydney trailing 10-6.

But referee Ben Cummins chose not to send the try upstairs to video referee Paul Simpkins, ruling on the spot that Taylor had grounded the ball short and then lost it.

Souths coach John Lang said the decision to not check the try at such a crucial moment in the match could potentially be "the worst blunder of the season".

"If it was a try, it's one hell of a blunder," Lang said.

"If I look at it and decide it's a try, it's probably the worst blunder of the season, because we're four behind, a kick for goal would put us two in front."

Rabbitohs skipper Michael Crocker felt Taylor had grounded the ball and questioned Cummins on the field.

"I said to Ben Cummins that he should've had a look at it and I think any other referee would have," Crocker explained.

"In my opinion (Taylor) got it down and had pressure on it, that's something for the referees to look at."

Taylor himself remained confused about the ruling when quizzed after the match.

"I was quite confident at the time if he went upstairs but the ref thought otherwise," Taylor said.

"They go upstairs for a lot less than that. I don't know why he didn't go upstairs.

"He made a decision and refs cop a lot of flak about going upstairs too much, but they've definitely got to time it right."

Before being denied a potential match-winning try, Taylor - who was on the field for the full 80 minutes - looked to have played himself into a Queensland State of Origin jersey with a barnstorming performance.

The 118kg backrower scored the match's opening try when he leapt above teammate Greg Inglis, who made a successful comeback from a hip injury, and Melbourne's Maurice Blair to snatch a Chris Sandow bomb in the 8th minute.

But his efforts were outweighed by soft tries at the other end of the field to Blair and prop Jesse Bromwich in the first half, and another weak defensive effort on Melbourne captain Cameron Smith, who sealed the game with a try from dummy-half in the 77th minute.

Crocker said Taylor, who was the Maroons' 18th man in Origin I, deserved a call-up.

"I think so. I think he just gives that little bit of extra punch off the bench," he said.

"He's an impact player and having someone like that coming off the bench is definitely helpful.

"His workrate and effort is amazing for a big fella."

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