Monday Bunker: Full analysis of the NRL semi-finals

Officiating has again come under the spotlight after another weekend of contentious calls. But were they right or wrong? The Monday Bunker analyses the big issues in the NRL. WATCH NOW!

NRL officiating has again come under the spotlight after another weekend of contentious calls. But were they right or wrong?

Manly’s loss to South Sydney was hard for Des Hasler to take, with the Sea Eagles coach saying his side was dudded.

Jake Trbojevic’s sin-binning proved costly for the Sea Eagles, but the Monday Bunker panel were split over whether or not it was the right call.

“I thought a penalty was appropriate, I think (the sin-binning) cost Manly the game. I have no doubt Manly were the better side, I think they were robbed,” The Courier-Mail’s Peter Gleeson said.

The Monday Bunker team featuring host Tim Gilbert, Paul Crawley, Fatima Kdouh and Peter Gleeson dissects all the major issues from an enthralling weekend of finals. WATCH IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

“I could never imagine someone getting 10 minutes in the sin-bin with 12 minutes to go in a State of Origin decider or in a grand final.

“I know they’ve got a tough job, and (Graham) Annesley quite rightly defended them, but gee.”

He had support from The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley, who said “a penalty was sufficient”.

“I have no doubt in the world that he did grab his jumper, but he did it trying to make the tackle — it wasn’t to take (Dane) Gagai out,” he said.

WATCH THE MONDAY BUNKER IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.

Monday Bunker host Tim Gilbert took the side of the whistleblowers.

“I cannot agree with you on this one. We always bang the referees for keeping the whistle in their pocket, I thought he deserved to be sin-binned,” he said.

The Daily Telegraph’s Fatima Kdouh also said Trbojevic deserved to be sin-binned.

“Consistency is the problem,” she said.

“We can’t have the argument that just because Elliot Whitehead wasn’t sin-binned (in Canberra’s clash with Melbourne) when he should have been, that Jake Trbojevic shouldn’t have been sin-binned this week.

“It’s a professional foul.”

It wasn’t the only big call that came under the spotlight, and the Monday Bunker panel ran the rule over the decision to sin-bin Cameron Smith for his slap on Eels hooker Reed Mahoney.

They also looked ahead to this weekend’s NRL preliminary finals and gave their tips for who will reach the 2019 decider.

WATCH THE MONDAY BUNKER IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.