NRL Bunker mistakes spark controversy
WIth just two weeks left in the NRL season, fans and pundits are not talking about Minor Premiers Melbourne Storm, Premiership odds, or the best NRL bets for Round 26 next weekend. Instead, they are talking about the NRL Bunker review system.
The Bunker had an absolute mare this weekend. Major calls were missed and the lack of consistency between Bunker officials was on full display.
The biggest controversy of the weekend came in the Warriors vs. Bulldogs match on Friday night when Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton was not sent to the sin bin after an egregious tackle on New Zealand’s Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Crichton’s hit struck Tuivasa-Sheck in the head and knocked him out of the match. Crichton was allowed to stay on the pitch. However, the league has now suspended him for a match following review post-game.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley tried to limit the controversy by quickly coming out and taking accountability for the error.
“We have listened to the audio, and it’s purely a judgement error,” he explained, “The Bunker official involved just didn’t give due consideration to the impact of the tackle (by Crichton).
“They have criteria that they look at, but they have to make an assessment of how serious that particular incident was. It was purely a poor judgement call. A lot of time and effort goes into getting the referees and the match review committee on the same page with these things.
“Sometimes people’s judgement lets them down, and that’s what happened in this case. We haven’t done appointments yet, but you can probably gauge from my comments that it was a serious error.”
“Major, major review” incoming
While Graham Annesley tried to stress that the missed call in Warriors vs. Bulldogs was the fault of one official and not a problem of the Bunker as a whole, many fans and pundits disagree with him. They believe it is a sign of greater problems with the overall Bunker review process.
During the Fox League Friday night Warriors vs. Bulldogs broadcast, former Canterbury star James Graham called the Bunker review system “complete guessing game.”
His former teammate Michael Ennis agreed with Graham, saying “There’s a real frustration in our game between players, coaches, and it’s rife with our fans at the moment with the inconsistency (from the Bunker).”
NRL reporter Phil Rothfield revealed on Sunday that his sources at the league have informed him that they are aware of the growing frustration with the Bunker and that the NRL plans to do a complete review of the system ahead of next season.
“There is going to be a major, major review of the football department,” Rothfield said.
“The Bunker, the refereeing. Everything. They’ll leave nothing on the side and try to come up with at least some form of formula where the fans of our great game can at least switch on the TV, go to the games and get some level of consistency,” he continued.
On Monday, Rothfield further explained his comments. The veteran journalist said: “It’s (reviewing the Bunker system) their number one priority in the off season, to get this sorted out once and for all.”
