Sharks escape after referee bunker drama as the race for the finals heats up
The NRL bunker is again in the spotlight and as the finals loom large questions have been raised about how it will stand up under the pressure of playoffs football. Watch the Monday Bunker.
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The big question as the NRL heads to the playoffs is how big an impact will the bunker have on this year’s finals series after another controversial call on Sunday.
Wade Graham admitted after the game he touched the ball that led to Bronson Xerri’s winning try for the Sharks against St George Illawarra but the bunker couldn’t conclude whether there was any contact.
The victory helped Cronulla into a stronger position in the run home to the finals which is heating up with only three rounds remaining with four teams outside the eight a chance of scraping in.
The Daily Telegraph’s Fatima Kdouh said on the Monday Bunker that the controversial call was a concern for the NRL.
“So close to the finals series, a massive howler like this surely has people wondering whether they can trust the video referees to make the big decisions,” she said.
“We’re lucky in a way that the Dragons are out of finals contention because if this was a finals game or if it was a side that was vying for that last spot in the top eight, this would be the biggest story today.
“I think most reasonable fans can accept that there is going to be an element of human error in our game ... but that is a clear howler.”
Watch Tim Gilbert, Fatima Kdouh, Paul Crawley and Peter Gleeson as the Monday Bunker dissects a massive weekend of footy and looks ahead to Round 23. WATCH IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.
The Courier-Mail’s Peter Gleeson said there was a worry that the bunker might cost a team in a big moment.
“We don’t want a grand final, we don’t want a significant semi-final determined by an absolute howler,” The Courier-Mail’s Peter Gleeson said.
“Their argument is the bunker is not foolproof and there is a subjectivity attached to some of the interpretations.
“These guys have got all the technology in the world ... I just worry when you see a howler like that happening.
“I would hate to think it would cost a team a shot at a grand final or even worse a premiership.”
Watch Tim Gilbert, Fatima Kdouh, Paul Crawley and Peter Gleeson as the Monday Bunker dissects a massive weekend of footy and looks ahead to Round 23. WATCH IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.