NRL football boss Graham Annesley admits Tigers were robbed

NRL football boss Graham Annesley has explained the massive blunder at the end of the controversial Cowboys-Tigers clash.

NRL head of football Graham Annesley has admitted the Bunker got the decision wrong at the end of the Cowboys’ controversial 27-26 win over the Wests Tigers on Sunday.

The Cowboys were given a penalty for an “escort” or obstruction after time had elapsed in the match despite the Tigers seemingly icing the game by defusing the short kick-off.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

After the Cowboys fired off a captain’s challenge, NRL Bunker official Ashley Klein deemed Tigers winger Asu Kepaoa had changed direction to get in the way of North Queensland’s Kyle Feldt — a ruling few agreed with.

Feldt has since been accused of diving.

Annesley said two of the three components in the decision-making process were correct but the Bunker’s obstruction call was wrong. He added the captain’s challenge had been a success, with 360 correct challenges in its three years overturning incorrect decisions.

Annesley said there was still time left on the clock before the restart.

He added the challenge itself was allowable as it must come from a stoppage by the referee. Annesley said the soft signal — or what had been described by the NRL as a “short whistle” — before full-time counts as a stoppage and allows players to appeal the final play of the game.

It was just part of the controversy. Photo: Fox Sports

But Annesley admitted the decision itself to award the Cowboys a penalty was incorrect.

“We’ve examined that carefully this morning, we’ve looked at all available footage and we’re just not satisfied that there was enough in that incident to warrant the decision of the Bunker to award a penalty kick,” Annesley said.

“Yes, there was contact. Yes, there was a collision. But we believe that the Wests player involved was heading toward the ball. He didn’t look over his shoulder to see what was coming behind him.

“Yes, he ran a slightly strange line to head towards the ball, but he was heading towards the ball. And these are matters of judgment from the officials.

“But on review this morning, we just don’t believe there was enough in that to give away a penalty and that the challenge should have been at that point dismissed by the Bunker as an unsuccessful challenge.”

Annesley said he had spoken to Tigers football boss Tim Sheens and admitted the NRL got it wrong.

After the soft signal, referee Butler appeared to be listening into his earpiece, but Annesley revealed it was the bunker telling the official there were still challenges left.

Despite the controversy, Annesley said he believes the good the bunker does “1000 times outweighs the controversial decisions the bunker makes”.

“I’m the first to acknowledge that we believe that they got the decision wrong yesterday,” Annesley said. “But if that had been a more blatant decision, is anyone comfortable to say ‘well, now we just leave that on the field’.

“But the argument at the that we’re having at the moment is because it was a debatable decision. And in our view, and in probably in the view of many, the bunkers shouldn’t have given the penalty.”

The eyes were always on the ball. Photo: Fox Sports

Since the controversey erupted, many people have called for Klein to be stood down over the decision.

But Annesley refused to be drawn into whether Klein, who has refereed 11 State of Origin matches including all three this season, would be stood down for the decision.

“To be honest, we’ve spent all morning so far deconstructing yesterday, so we haven’t even got recommendations or talked about appointments for referees or banquet officials for next week. But they will come out tomorrow and again, I say that there’s no more accountable job than officiating in the NRL is that it all happens publicly and we have a history of putting our hands up when things go wrong, certainly while I’ve been here. Where we feel that there is a justification for officials to be accountable for their decisions. Through demotion then, those sorts of decisions will be taken, but we haven’t addressed it at this point. We’ve just been looking at what happened yesterday.

Annesley said he wouldn’t comment on whether if Klein was demoted, if he would be demoted from on-field and bunker duties or just from the bunker.

“The thing I’d say about Ash Klein is that he’s been our number one referee over recent months,” Annesley said. “He refereed all three origins. He’s been operating in the bunker now for many years. He performs to a very high standard. We just don’t agree with the decision he made yesterday.”

Klein refereed all three Origin matches. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

However, the rules are far from black and white.

Under NRL rules, a captain’s challenge is only able to be called “in instances where the referee makes a decision that results in the match recommencing with a structured restart”.

Structured restarts include a scrum, penalty, sixth tackle handover, 20m restart, goal line dropout, general play handover, and 40/20 or 20/40 restart.

However, despite no decision being made by the referee before the Cowboys’ challenge was accepted, the NRL defended its process.

“The captain’s challenge was permissible in these circumstances,” an NRL spokesperson said before Annesley’s briefing. “The captain can challenge decisions by the referee to stop the play.

“Although the referee had blown his whistle to stop the game after the last tackle was completed as time had expired, he had not yet called full-time.

“The whole concept of the captain’s challenge is to make sure any decision by the referee that stops the game can be reviewed. To not do so would effectively deny a team the right to have an officiating error corrected on the last play of a game just because time had expired.

“There are multiple examples of games continuing after time has expired following an infringement.

“These include incidences of foul play or other penalisable rule breaches.”

Originally published as NRL football boss Graham Annesley admits Tigers were robbed