NRL head of football Graham Annesley has come out defending the match officials for overruling a try to Jesse Ramien during the Sharks' tight loss to the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday afternoon.

Late in the first half, it appeared as if Sione Katoa had made a serious blunder with a forward pass to Jesse Ramien, who would streak away to score.

Much to the bewilderment of commentators and fans though, the pass wasn't picked up by the on-field officials, and with the bunker unable to rule on forward passes, it was assumed the try would stand.

However, referee Ben Cummins would blow time off just as Shaun Johnson was lining up the kick to advise the try was being checked for a potential knock on.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Referee Ben Cummins gestures during the round 25 NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Cronulla Sharks at Leichhardt Oval on September 08, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Under the NRL laws, a player commits a knock on if he fails to regain control, or kick the ball before it touches the ground, another player or the goal posts.

Annesley explained that the bunker has picked up Katoa losing control and not regaining the football before shuffling it onto the flying Ramien.

"If in this instance, the ball carrier loses control of the ball, then in order for it to not be a knock on, he has to regain control of the ball or kick it before it hits the ground. If any other player gets the ball before it hits the ground, it's a knock on. The only player who can nullify a knock on is the player who propelled the ball forward," said Annesley.

"At normal speed, it looks like Sione Katoa passes it inside to Jesse Ramien. Going frame by frame, you can see he is carrying the ball in his right arm. As the two defenders get to him, his hand and his arm have come completely away from the ball. He has effectrively lost that ball.

"He can nullify a knock on at that point by regaining control of the ball. What he does is his arm comes through and propels the ball, knocking it to Jesse Ramien. He at no stage regathered the ball and decided to pass it. He lost control of the ball, then bumped it sidewards to Ramien. It's on that basis that it's a knock on under the laws of the game."

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 10: Jesse Ramien of the Sharks watches on during the round 14 NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Wests Tigers at Southern Cross Group Stadium on June 10, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The decision came under the microscope at the time, with many assuming the bunker has incorrectly ruled on a forward pass, which they aren't allowed to do under the rules of the game.

The Sharks went on to lose the match to the struggling Broncos by a scoreline of 26 points to 18.