The Dolphins defeated the Parramatta Eels 34-16 on Friday as they continue to hold down their top-four spot.
Jason Ryles' comments about a particular decision by the Bunker took centre stage.
It was the first twenty minutes when Parramatta took control of the game, going on a 10-0 run to start the match.
A quick response in the 24th minute with a try from Herbie Farnworth, then shortly after, Selwyn Cobbo scored to get the lead before Jamayne Isaako scored a try in the 35th minute.
At the time, it was ruled a no-try as it was believed Isaako lost the ball in a tackle made by Sean Russell.
However, the Bunker overruled the original no-try decision, giving the Dolphins a 16-10 lead at halftime.
In the post-match press conference, Ryles expressed his frustrations about how the Bunker interpreted the sequence.
“I don't go anywhere near that. I don't go any near the refs or anything like that because I know they've got a tough job,” Ryles said.
“But one thing I will say is that Bunker's got more technology than they had getting to the moon, and they still stuff it up.
“I don't go anywhere near that. I don't go any near the refs or anything like that because I know they've got a tough job,” Ryles said.
The media continued asking questions about the bunker, prompting Ryles to continue with his thoughts.
“I'm not saying any more about the Bunker. But just get it right,”
“I thought he did,” Ryles said when asked if Isaako lost the ball.
“I thought it went up no try, and then how they turned it over... I don't know, you're watching it, you're thinking the same thing. Did it have an influence on the game?
“No, it didn't, but that's going to decide a grand final, let's be honest.”
Ryles later revealed he had heard the Bunker's discussion of the call when he was in the coach's box.
The Eels coach deemed it "very confusing" and stated there would be no discussions with the NRL about the call.
“It's not worth it,” he said. “Waste of time.”
Ryles was asked about whether the Eels lose 50-50 calls because of their ladder position, but he answered in a way that broke the tension in the room.
“You're trying to bait me. It's got nothing to do with that,” he laughed.
For the Dolphins coach, Kristian Woolf feels the side's start to the game didn't look as bad as it did when the Eels started with a 10-0 lead.
However, he feels that side will take this game as a lesson and use it to prepare for their match against the Sydney Roosters next week.
"There's times where I just thought blokes were standing in tackles and breaking tackles and that they (felt like they) needed to get the ball away, find more points quickly, and they didn't quite execute it, and we ended up doing more defence," Woolf said.
The Eels still hope to finish the season strong when they play the Cronulla Sharks next week before the St George Illawarra Dragons to conclude their 2026 campaign.
