Just weeks after the legendary Wayne Bennett called for the NRL to axe the bunker, three-time premiership winner Ivan Cleary has followed suit.
Bennett slammed the role of the video officials after his side were eliminated from the competition on the final day of the regular season in a do or die clash against the Newcastle Knights.
Cleary, speaking after the a preliminary final win over the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday evening at Homebush, agreed with Bennett.
โ(What) Wayne Bennett, the best of all time, came out and said after their game against Newcastle he was 100% right. He said someone's going to suffer in the finals,โ Cleary said during his post-match press conference.
That comment came about on the back of a controversial obstruction call, which saw a try for Sunia Turuva ruled out, with the Penrith coach admitting he is 'worried' for next week.
โIt's been happening all year (and) that worries me about next week,โ Cleary said.
โThe only time they scored, we should've scored two sets before that. It was an obstruction try which was a terrible decision and that gives me a lot of anxiety around next week if that Bunker official, I think it was Chris Butler, (is in the Bunker next week),โ he said.
โI shouldn't say that but that was wrong.
โIt's been happening all year. They shouldn't have even scored, we shouldn't have even been down there.โ
Adding insult to the controversial decision for the men from the foot of the mountains, Cronulla scored their only try of the game just minutes after the decision.
The coach said it was about the bunker official actually understanding what players are attempting to do on the field.
"It's a big call for Graham [Annesley, the NRL's head of football]. I don't know if Graham makes the selection on who's in the bunker, but whoever is in there needs to understand what we are trying to do," Cleary said.
"There's a lot of referees not reffing next week, some of the best in the game, surely someone can work that out."
Cleary also said a trip from Toby Rudolf in the first half would have been a send off in his day - in this instance, the Sharks' forward was only penalised - and refused to comment on a late hit from Siosifa Talakai on Jarome Luai which was also only penalised.
