VIDEO: The worst refereeing blunders in the history of rugby league

VIDEO: BEAU Ryan's seventh-tackle try for the Sharks on Saturday begs the question... has there ever been a worse NRL refereeing decision?

BEAU Ryan's seventh-tackle try for the Sharks on Saturday begs the question... has there ever been a worse NRL refereeing decision?

Here are the contenders...

CAYLESS' CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Referee Ben Cummins has had enough. He's already blown 17 penalties in a 2010 encounter between the Eels and the Bunnies and someone's gotta go.

So in the 64th minute, Cummins takes the plunge and sends Parramatta skipper Nathan Cayless to the bin for allegedly stripping the ball from Rabbitohs five-eighth John Sutton.

Only problem is, the guilty party was actually Daniel Mortimer.

Understandably, then-referees boss Robert Finch isn't happy. "I'm very disappointed they put the wrong bloke in the bin. That's not acceptable," Finch says. "I'm not happy with that at all."

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ANASTA PENALISED FOR BEING PUNCHED IN THE FACE

It appears Cummins has a history of punishing the wrong bloke.

In 2007, Braith Anasta was penalised after being on the receiving end of a David Fa'alogo punch to the head.

After making a tackle on the Souths forward, Anasta is smacked in the nose before he even knows what happened.

Stunned, Anasta tells Cummins immediately: "You're off your head! You're off your head!"

He later tells reporters: "[Cummins] listened to the crowd. He should check his undies seriously. I've never seen anyone give in to the crowd like he did."

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WHARE'S INVISIBLE HAND

You only have to go back a couple of months to the round 19 clash between the Panthers and the Knights to find one of the great howlers.

Penrith winger Dean Whare acrobatically puts the ball down in the corner with his right hand - but the problem is what's happening with his left.

The ref sends it upstairs and replays clearly show Whare's left hand dragging across the sideline and into touch.

The result? TRY.

In classic Wayne Bennett fashion, the Newcastle coach succinctly explains the situation post-match.

"His hand was on the sideline. It wasn't a try," he says.

Pretty simple, isn't it?

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RIDGE KEEPS RUNNING

There's a little over a minute to go in the first half of the 1996 grand final between the Saints and the Sea Eagles.

Manly fullback Matthew Ridge takes the short restart and, in a clever bit of work, is able to regather.

Nathan Brown wraps Ridge up just outside the 30 - or does he?

Referee David Manson allows play to go on even though Ridge was grounded and he goes onto make another 20m, directly leading to a Manly try and a handy 14-2 halftime lead.

The Sea Eagles eventually win it 20-8. 

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GI'S ORIGIN DROPSIES

The ball ricochets off Robbie Farah's boot onto Greg Inglis' arms in Game I of the 2012 Origin series and the Maroons centre can't handle the ball. It bounces into the in-goal before he eventually plants it down.

Upstairs we go and Sean Hampstead rules... TRY.

Bill Harrigan, ref boss at the time, says later the try should never have been awarded. But that does little to cool down the Blues.

The try came in the 73rd minute, with Queensland holding a narrow two-point lead. They go on to win by eight - and later eight series in a row.

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BRETT HODGSON KNOCKS ON

The 2006 Origin decider is best remembered for Brett Hodgson's loose pass being thieved by Darren Lockyer to score the match-winner under the sticks.

But earlier in the half, the Blues fullback got away with another error - courtesy of a shocker from the officials.

It's the 49th minute and NSW are on the attack. Craig Gower goes to the air, and Hodgson leaps up and gets his hand to the ball. It ends up in the hands of Steve Menzies, who then gets it on to eric Grothe Jr, who crosses to give the Blues a 10-point lead.

The video ref gets a look while the rest of the world watches the replay and sees the knock on but, you guessed it, a four-pointer is rewarded.

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HAND OF KIERAN

You may have heard about this one over the weekend, given the Cowboys were once again the team robbed.

In last year's semi-final, Kieran Foran rises above Johnathan Thurston and palms the ball forward in the lead-up to a 63rd minute try that helps Manly to a 22-12 victory.

Video referees Steve Clark and Paul Simpkins award the try, only for ref bosses Stuart Raper and Bill Harrigan to confirm the decision is incorrect 24 hours later.

Foran initially denies he touched it but - after watching the replays - later admits he most certainly did.

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