‘Shouldn’t happen at this level’: Bunker ‘disgrace’ sparks 12-point swing
The NRL’s Bunker has been absolutely savaged after a stunning call left commentators on the war path over a horrific robbery.
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The New Zealand Warriors have overcome a contentious 12-point swing against them to pull off a 16-14 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs at Mount Smart Stadium.
The Warriors were left fuming after it was denied a try at one end before Josh Addo-Carr ran the 80m to score at the other end.
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The Bulldogs held an 8-6 lead at the halftime break but it was an eventful start to the second half after Fa’amanu Brown left the field with a dislocated elbow just a minute in.
Three minutes later, Adam Pompey crashed over the line but it was immediately sent upstairs after it appeared that Viliame Kikau had raked the ball out.
In the lead up, Pompey had one arm held by Josh Addo-Carr, carrying the ball away from his body in the other arm, when Kikau appeared to pull his hand off the ball.
“Viliame Kikau pulls it out, that’s play on, that’s a try to the Warriors,” Matt Russell said in commentary on Fox League.
Although it was sent up as a no try, referee Peter Gough asked that it be looked at whether it was a poor carry or whether it had been stripped.
“He’s had a hand in him (Pompey) losing the ball there,” Steve Roach said.
Russell added: “Will the Bunker rule that to be a stripping motion from Viliame Kikau, pulling the arm away from the ball?”
Roach: “How can you every really tell that he’s going for the ball? How could you be certain? He comes from over the top, he knocks the ball out.”
Russell: “But he doesn’t originally, so does that back up the thought that it’s not a loose carry but actually a stripping motion from Viliame Kikau. It’s a tricky one.”
But the Bunker was sure it was a knock on from Pompey.
Roach wasn’t happy.
“I think he’s trying to come over the top and rake the ball out,” Roach said.
Russell added: “I’m sorry Canterbury fans, you’ve got to call it as you see it and I thought they would have rules that Viliame Kikau had pulled the arm of Adam Pompey away from the ball.”
Roach: “That’s what he was trying to do wasn’t he.”
On Triple M, they were in disbelief over the call.
“He plays at the football, there’s no doubt he plays at the football,” Gorden Tallis said.
Dan Ginnane added: “He’s punched it out with the right hand.
“Unbelievable, that is a shocking decision. There is no excuse for the Bunker to stuff things up like that. On the run, it can happen. When you have time to get it right, you cannot get it wrong like that.”
James Graham said even at full pace it was clear it had been raked out.
“There is no excuses for getting that wrong,” he said. “Live it looked like a rake, on the second angle Gorden picked it as a rake. The third position … it was clearly a rake. At this level, at this standard, that should not be happening.”
Ginnane concluded: “Well done to Josh Addo-Carr but that is a disgrace what has happened over the last 90 seconds.”
But not everyone was against the call.
After the match, Greg Alexander said he didn’t believe it was a strip.
“I thought they got it right,” he said. “Kikau plays at the ball but doesn’t actually make contact with the ball, he makes contact with the arm, so for mine, that’s a loose carry.”
Corey Parker agreed with Alexander because the arm was away from the body.
Braith Anasta was blunt however, saying “Kikau was trying to strip the ball.” NRLW star Emma Tonegato agreed with Anasta.
The Warriors fans were ropeable, raining boos down on the stadium.
But it was just about to get worse as the Bulldogs went wide and the “fastest man on the planet” Josh Addo-Carr ran 80m to give the visitors a 14-6 lead.
The boos just got more intense.
“There’s a gaping wound on the Warriors and Josh Addo-Carr has just poured a truckload of salt into it,” Russell said.
Roach: “That has just broken the hearts of the Warriors.”
Fans were fuming over the 12-point swing.
That seems a stiff call on the Warriors. It wasn’t a loose carry. If Kikau doesn’t get his hand in there, Pompey doesn’t lose the ball. Should have been try.
— Michael Atkinson (@kinson88) March 26, 2023
And now The Foxx goes the length to score for the Dogs #NRLWarriorsBulldogs
That's ridiculous. Seriously. #NRLWarriorsBulldogs
— Brendan Bradford (@1bbradfo) March 26, 2023
Looking forward to the regularly scheduled apology to the Warriors over being on the wrong end of bad calls #NRLWarriorsBulldogs
— Christopher Reive (@ChrisReive) March 26, 2023
It wasn’t the end of the controversy however as the Warriors bounced back through tries to Marcelo Montoya before Shaun Johnson cutting straight through a gap after a brilliant dummy to give the home side the lead.
But there were question marks over contact from Addin Fonua-Blake who charged straight into Bulldogs captain Reed Mahoney
Freelance sports reporter Bernie Coen tweeted: “Good to see obstruction is allowed back in the game. So you can now have decoy runners block defence from the ball carriers … nice to know.”
The Warriors denied the Bulldogs another score after hanging on desperately in defence, claiming a two-point win and leaving the Kiwis in the top four for the first time since 2019.
Originally published as ‘Shouldn’t happen at this level’: Bunker ‘disgrace’ sparks 12-point swing
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