Controversy has flowed from Saturday afternoon's game between the Canberra Raiders and Gold Coast Titans, but the NRL have confirmed David Fifita's try was correctly overruled by the bunker.
On the stroke of halftime, Fifita had appeared to score for the Gold Coast, only for the bunker to overrule the decision, suggesting he had pushed defender Jamal Fogarty out of the way on his path to the line.
Replays appeared to show Fogarty had indeed been pushed, but only after running directly into the path of Fifita and coming to a virtual stop.
The NRL's head of football Graham Annesley said during his footy briefing on Monday that it was important to look at a number of aspects of the try.
"We need to look at a few aspects of this. Firstly, that Jamal stops. It's a funny way of stopping if you ask me. I can't see him stopping. I can see him about to get run over by a player about twice his size, but I can't see him stopping," Annesley said.
"After the contact when David Fifita gets the ball in his hands, Fogarty is trying to kick the ball just as Fifita catches the ball, so he is still trying to kick the ball dead before Fifita gets his hand on the ball. To say that he isn't contesting or that he has stopped, I don't know what people were watching.
"[On the issue] of whether Fifita brushes past him or not. Fogarty is entitled to run towards the ball. Yes they are on a collision course, but Dave Fifita is all over him and that's a handful of jersey that he [Fifita] has got, dragging it down. That's him dragging the jersey down from the back. He doesn't brush past him. He doesn't make incidental contact.
"Even if there is a case that Fogarty is escorting and deliberately trying to block Fifita, that is not for him to decide. That's for the referee to decide. You can't just grab players and throw them out of the way without the ball.
"If Fifita doesn't get to the ball and the referee decides that Fogarty is escorting him, then the referee will decide whether it's a penalty try or not. "
The comments around the try will do little to improve the mood of the Titans, who felt post-game that the try should have been awarded.
Annesley then lined up the media, saying he couldn't believe some of the comments that had been made.
"I have to say that the amount of derogatory comments publically about this decision is so out of kilter with what actually happened. You would think that this decision by the bunker was the greatest injustice ever perpertrated on a team since we have had video assistance on the field<' Annesley said.
"I have read and heard things like 'diabolical', 'the Titans were dudded', 'unbelievable', 'the worst call of the year', 'that Jamal Fogarty deliberately stopped in front of Fifita' and 'that Fifita just brushes past him'."
The NRL's head of football then said that while people could make up their own mind, the reaction to the try had 'brought the game into disrepute.'
"To be frank, it brings our game into disrepute, the people that do this. They don't take the time to examine things properly. I'd be happy if they just said, 'that's a tight decision and it will be interesting to see what the bunker say here'," Annesley added.
"Some of these descriptions I have read out - why would anyone want to work in the bunker? Why would anyone want to be a referee when they are subject to this sort of attack over something that is perfectly defendable.
"People can still make up their mind over which of these players is most at fault, but to suggest this is such an outrageous, unbelievable, diabolical decision is just ridiculous frankly."
The Raiders won the game by two points.
Look 100% We need ref’s…. BUT A BIG BUT , THE VIDEO REF’S THE GAME DON’T NEED. I can understand a ref making a bad call In the run of play , WHAT WE CAN’T STAND IS THE VIDEO REF’S GETTING IT WRONG AND IT’S GETTING LOOK AT 5 TIMES. ONLY PLACE FOR A VIDEO REF IS FOUL PLAY.