‘Oh my god’: NRL world savages Bunker farce as absurd try awarded

The Melbourne Storm have wrapped up the minor premiership but not before one of the most absurd Bunker calls of the season.

The NRL world has been absolutely staggered after one of the most baffling Bunker decisions of the season for the Storm in a 48-6 thrashing of the Dolphins.

The victory has wrapped up the minor premiership for the Storm, while the result leaves the Dolphins’ fate in the hands of other teams as their finals hopes fade away.

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After going to the break with a 22-0 lead, the Storm went straight on the attack, making a break down the right hand side to set up another offensive raid.

On the last tackle of the set, Jahrome Hughes ran the short side before putting it on the boot, with a collision between the Storm’s Shawn Blore and Dolphins’ Jamayne Isaako forcing the ball towards the dead-ball line.

Melbourne’s Sua Fa’alogo made a desperate lunge with referee Gerard Sutton awarding the try, even though the Storm winger didn’t appear to be claiming it.

But on the first replay, it looked as though it had been clearly grounded on the line.

Go home Bunker, you're drunk. Photo: Fox Sports

“Oh no,” Greg Alexander and Dan Ginnane immediately agreed after seeing the replay.

“That touched the white line didn’t it?” Alexander added.

Ginnane said: “Spectacular but it won’t count.”

The pair also said it appeared that Blore admitted he had touched it, which would have been a knock on.

But the more they continued to show the replay, the more it seemed like something was afoot.

“It’s got to be on the line,” Ginnane said.

“It won’t be a try,” Alexander said. “Unless there’s a different angle, but from that angle it looks like it touched the white line.”

With the decision taking what seemed like an eternity with both teams seemingly happy for it to be dead in goal, Ginnane suggested “the longer it goes, the more doubt there has to be and remember the original decision is a try”.

Alexander replied: “This is one of these moment where it doesn’t matter what he sends it up as because it’s either touching the white line or it’s not.”

But Bunker official Matt Noyen inexplicably confirmed the try.

“Oh my god,” Ginnane said.

“So it’s not touching the white line,” Alexander said. “It’s black and white.”

“They must have found an angle …” Ginnane said.

“That’s the only angle we’ve seen and that’s deadset a no try — on that angle,” Ginnane stressed.

The commentators were blown away by the call as a reverse angle “looks better”, but Alexander added that there “has got to be another shot that shows grass between ball and the line, there has to be — and that wasn’t the one”.

This was another angle but even that doesn't look that great. Photo: Fox Sports

Even Fa'alogo didn't believe it. Photo: Fox Sports

It didn’t change the result too much as the Storm blew the Dolphins off the park.

But with finals a matter of weeks away and fans still rocked by the Stephen Crichton decision on Friday night, the call threw the spotlight on the Bunker once again.

Western Weekender reporter Lachlan Jeffries posted: “The bunker clearly had an angle that the broadcasters didn’t. Meaney wasn’t setting up the kick, Fa’alogo had given up on it and the Dolphins were heading back to the 20.”

ABC Sport’s Brett McKay commented: “Presumably the angle that shows that was a try was taken from the camera on the grassy knoll …”

TRY!!! Just another night in the Bunker. pic.twitter.com/V0Xdov5eTC

— The Mole (@9_Moley) August 24, 2024

“Hahaha. What an absolute joke,” one fan wrote.

Another called it “a bit of a farce”.

A third posted: “Bunker are drunk that was touching the line.”

Another called it “absolute madness”.

Another suggested: “It’d be nice if the TV coverage could show the actual view that The Bunker is looking at.”

A sixth commented: “They need to show us a better angle otherwise that’s going down as one of the worst bunker calls ever.”

Even Storm fans were stunned by the call.

“As a storm fan, that’s a crazy decision by the bunker,” one said.

“WTF I’m a storm fan I can’t believe they have given that,” another posted.

The Storm ran away with the 42-point victory to wrap up the NRL’s minor premiership with two rounds remaining.

The loss for the Dolphins leaves them locked with the Broncos, Raiders and potentially the Knights, if they beat Souths in the final game of the night, on 26 competition points.

If the Dragons can defeat the Sharks on Sunday, that chasing pack will be four points behind St George for eighth place on the ladder. And the Dragons play the Eels in round 26.