Newcastle Knights skipper Dane Gagai has criticised the NRL bunker over the Sydney Roosters' game-winning try on Saturday evening.
With the Knights up by two points late in the second half, the Roosters rolled a grubber kick in behind the line, and Siua Wong appeared to score.
Replays only appeared to show him grounding the ball with his forearm and never gaining control of the football, but bunker official Adam Gee ruled a try, and no more points would be scored in the closing stages of the game, seeing the tri-colours run out 12 points to 8 winners.
Gagai questioned how it could have possibly been a try after the contest.
“It was a tough one to swallow. I know when I'm going for a try, I try to grab the ball and that nobody attempts to ground it with their forearm,” Gagai said during the post-match press conference.
“They said there was no separation but I've never seen someone control a ball with their forearm before.
“But in saying that, we had an opportunity to win the game and I thought the effort from a lot of those boys was awesome.
“The oldest person on our bench was 22, so the effort from all those young kids out there coming up against a side like that with so much experience and so many great players I thought showed a lot of grit and toughness.
“But at the end of the day a loss is a loss.”
The ruling - which claimed there was no separation between the football and the arm - saw social media erupt as fans questioned the decision.
It's just the latest in a string of controversial decisions from the NRL officials, with Shane Flanagan becoming the latest coach to risk a sanction on Thursday evening by criticisng a late call in the Dragons loss to the Sharks.
Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien didn't make comment on the incident, choosing not to risk earning the wrath of the NRL.
Roosters captain James Tedesco admitted he was nervous watching replays of the try.
“I felt like he grounded it with his forearm, I didn't see separation,” Tedesco said.
“It was a great effort to get there and I felt like from what I saw it was a try. We'll take it.”
The win leaves the Roosters in eighth spot on the NRL ladder with six wins from 13 games, while the Knights sit in 15th spot with five wins from 14 games.
