Wayne Bennett has launched criticism over the Bunker following South Sydney's 28-14 defeat to Manly at 'Foz Pines Park', the venue temporarily renamed for one round to celebrate the re-signing of Sea Eagles coach Kieran Foran.
The veteran coach was left fuming after two controversial moments that went against the Rabbitohs, insisting the NRL's video review system continues to fail despite having every advantage available to it.
The first flashpoint came when South Sydney winger Edward Kosi was denied a try following Bunker intervention, with officials ruling he had grounded the ball out of the field of play.
The decision quickly sparked debate, with multiple replay angles suggesting Kosi may have scored legally.
To make matters worse for the Rabbitohs, Manly crossed shortly afterwards in a passage of play that attracted controversy of its own. Replays appeared to show Jake Trbojevic knocking the ball on during the play-the-ball before the Sea Eagles' try, but the Bunker allowed the four-pointer to stand.
Asked about the incident after the match, Bennett did not hold back.
When he was first asked, he said, “he didn't play it properly, simple as that”.
“We pay all this money for the Bunker and still don't get it right,” he continued.
“We weren't playing well, so I'm not going to use that as an excuse, but the bottom line is that's what they're there for. They've got to go back to play the ball when the try's scored, and that was all in one movement. If that's an acceptable play, the ball then the game's going to change enormously very quickly.”
While Bennett acknowledged South Sydney were not at their best, he returned to the officiating decisions when pressed further.
“I'll come back to the point, we've got a Bunker, it's supposed to be perfect because they expect us to be perfect. They have the opportunity to make a decision, to see it, and they still get it wrong,” he said.
“I'm a fan of no Bunker, I can tell you. I'd rather the game play, get on with life and accept (decisions) like we always accept them, because they don't get it right all the time, and they should because they've got the benefit of hindsight, and there's no time limit on their decision making.
“A month ago at the St George and Roosters game, the same thing happened.”
Bennett later clarified that his frustration was not with the concept of human error, but with repeated mistakes from a system designed to eliminate it.
“I'd rather have the try, and don't worry about whether the Bunker is involved again ... we played for over 100 years without the Bunker,” he said.
The Rabbitohs ultimately had bigger issues than the officiating, with Manly pulling away to secure a 28-14 victory despite being one man down for 10 minutes in the first half.
Bennet was firm that he was not blaming the Bunker for the loss, but rather the leadership of his senior players.
“The older players are better than that; they've got to take some ownership on what their jobs are out there, they get well paid to do it,” he said.
