‘Complete joke’: NRL bunker farce is painful to watch

The NRL is in uproar after the moment the bunker stepped in to rob the Eels in a controversial moment in their loss to the Broncos.

The controversial moment. Photo: Fox League.

The only good news is that it ultimately didn’t matter.

The NRL is in uproar yet again after a controversial bunker ruling that took a try off the Eels during their loss to the Broncos on Thursday night.

On a miserable night for Parramatta where the club dropped to sixth on the NRL ladder, the club had further insult added when a clever defending tactic from Broncos captain Adam Reynolds tricked the Bunker into taking a four-pointer off the home side.

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Commentators, including NRL icon Johnathan Thurston, slammed the decision.

The Bunker had stepped in to review the play with referee Gerard Sutton awarding a try to Eels centre Waqa Blake. However, contact made between decoy runner Makahesi Makatoa and Reynolds, who was standing in the defensive line, caught the eye of the review official.

Makatoa’s contact with Reynolds’ inside shoulder was enough to have the try taken off the Eels.

The position of decoy runners has been an unrelenting farce for the league in recent years with every interpretation tweak failing to find a consistent way to police it.

The controversial moment. Photo: Fox League.

The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield on Thursday described it as a “complete joke” when posting on Twitter.

“Best form of defence in rugby league these days is to position yourself in front of a decoy runner,” he wrote.

“That no try ruling was a complete joke.”

Code Sports’ Lachlan McKirdy wrote: “The obstruction rule just has no consistency”.

Speaking on Channel 9’s commentary team, Blues coach Brad Fittler said the decision was “hilarious”.

Thurston even suggested Reynolds had deliberately stood his ground in order to have Makatoa run into him.

Maika Sivo and Adam Reynolds shake hands. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

“I don’t think he was going to have any influence on the play at all,” Thurston said in Nine.

“So, too smart, and got one over the Bunker there. That’s the shame about the Bunker.”

Reynolds was asked about the controversial moment in his post-match press conference and denied suggestions he had milked a penalty.

I set myself pretty tight to obviously get myself in front of that lead runner. He was a big body so I needed to get myself in front of him and then tried to check and release, so I got bumped,” Reynolds said.

“It’s a part of the rules.”

Originally published as ‘Complete joke’: NRL bunker farce is painful to watch