Wayne Bennett wants the bunker gone after two big calls went against him. The NRL has had its say

The NRL has backed two crucial officiating decisions that went against South Sydney in their 20-10 loss to Newcastle that prompted Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett to call for the bunker to be abolished.

Bennett blasted the NRL bunker after a knock-on ruling against Alex Johnston denied the Rabbitohs a try at a vital stage during their elimination final defeat, declaring: “The quicker they get rid of the bunker, the happier I’ll be.”

There was also conjecture about the bunker’s decision to green-light a Knights try 10 minutes later when winger Dominic Young was deemed not to have put a foot on the sideline despite several angles suggesting his boot had touched the chalk.

However, head office was comfortable with both calls after a thorough post-game review, according to sources who are aware of the verdict but not authorised to comment.

The tough calls aside, South Sydney were struggling when they lost Cody Walker to a calf injury just before half-time. They then lost to an impressive Knights side, who march on to week two of the finals for a showdown against the loser of Saturday afternoon’s Warriors-Dolphins clash.

Approaching the hour mark at Allianz Stadium on Friday night, Latrell Mitchell squeezed a pass for Johnston who appeared to have the ball stripped from him by Knights back-rower Jermaine McEwen.

Play was allowed to continue and Johnston kneed the ball forward, then Jayden Sullivan kicked it further ahead before scoring.

Referee Ashley Klein awarded a try, but bunker official Chris Butler had other ideas, claiming McEwen had been trying to make a tackle and that Johnston had lost the ball.

Instead of levelling the scores at 10-10 with a kick to come, Souths were put on the back foot – and 10 minutes later conceded a try to Young, who appeared to put his right foot on the touchline.

The bunker is only required to uphold an on-field decision if there is inconclusive or insufficient evidence for it to make its own clear, independent determination. It means that the off-field official shouldn’t default to the referee’s original call, regardless of how fine the margin is. Which is why both contentious rulings ultimately went in the Knights’ favour.

Bennett complimented Newcastle on playing a “tremendous game”, and was mindful to not deflect from the result, but he was also frustrated with the bunker, which was established to eliminate contentious calls.

“Anyone who plays rugby league or knows rugby league knows that was a knock-on,” Bennett said. “The ball was knocked out of his [Johnston’s] hands. The referee awards a try, then the bunker buys in and says it’s no try.

“Ten minutes later, Newcastle winger Dom Young goes down the sideline, I’m not sure if he put his foot on the sideline, but the bottom line is the bunker comes back and says, ‘We’re going with the referee’s call’.

“I want to know who is refereeing the game, that’s the first thing I want to know. Is it the bunker or is it the referee?

“In the case of Alex Johnston ... you can look at that 50 times, everyone can come up with a different opinion. It’s just too technical. It’s not what the game needs.

“I’ve been in the game a long time, I’ve seen a lot of things, and I don’t think the bunker enhances our game to the [level] we believe it does.”

Bennett said he was happy to live with referees making poor calls, just as he was prepared to cope with mistakes made by his players.

“But the bunker was meant to be 100 per cent bulletproof, and it’s not,” he said. “It won’t stop here tonight. There will be more instances through the play-offs, I can promise you.”

Bennett was also confused by a call in the first half to penalise Mitchell when he appeared to be struck first in an altercation with Knights centre Dane Gagai.

The duel between Mitchell and Gagai was one of the highlights of the evening.

Newcastle coach Justin Holbrook thought “common sense prevailed” with the decision to strip Souths of the Sullivan try, while Cameron Smith said during the live commentary it did not deserve to be a try.

The Knights looked like a team that was fresh from the bye the previous week, and looked in more sync in attack.

Souths were not helped by Walker breaking down on the half hour, with the playmaker immediately signalling to the sideline for help.

He would have been unlikely to play on next weekend had Souths progressed, but Bennett confirmed the club was keen for him to play on in 2027, even though a deal was yet to be formally struck.

Walker, who is off contract and yet to make a definitive call on his future, was charged with a grade-one careless high tackle on Jemaine McEwen. An early guilty plea will result in a $1800 fine, while he’ll pay $2,500 if he unsuccessfully contests it.

Aside from Walker, then Johnston failing to finish the game with a groin complaint, Souths had enjoyed a good run with injuries at this time of year.

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