South Sydney Rabbitohs head coach Wayne Bennett is expected to meet with the NRL about a rule change with the bunker he thinks will benefit the game to go with his strong views in recent weeks.
After the Rabbitohs' loss to Newcastle in the elimination final two weeks ago, Bennett suggested the bunker should be removed and that the game would be better with decisions made only by the on-field referees.
Sports Confidential reports that Bennett is expected to have a showdown with NRL bosses after the season finishes, when he will make suggestions about how to reduce the drama and issues with the bunker.
Ideally, Bennett wants no bunker at all in the NRL.
Instead, he will suggest an outline for teams to use the bunker at their discretion during the game.
Bennett's idea is for NRL teams to have a Bunker's challenge.
This would allow both sides to request the Bunker only on try-scoring plays.
If the team is unsuccessful using their challenge, they would not be able to use the Bunker again, just as the captain's challenges are used during a match.
Captain's challenges are used for errors called during play, like knock-ons, illegal steals, escorts.
Bennett will put forward this rule change to the executive chairman, Peter V'landys when the NRL annually reviews the rules.
“I have been (critical of the Bunker) for a couple of years because I'm over the decisions they make and the impact it has on teams,” Bennett said a fortnight ago.
“I'd rather have a referee doing his job properly, the best he can. He'll make a mistake. I can live with that. My players make mistakes. I live with that.
“It's not where I want the game to be personally. I've been in a long time and said a lot of things, and I don't think the Bunker enhances our game to the amount of what we believe it does.
“The quicker they get rid of the Bunker, the happier I'll be.”
Teams have been very strong on rules being implemented with enough time before the start of the season, as the league went through several rule changes three days before the pre-season challenge kicked off in February.
Bennett was also in favour of the kick-off rule change that was trialled during non-finals defining games at the end of the season, which has been strongly disliked by fans and media.
V'landys' election win as the executive chairman makes the off-season intriguing, given that, as both the NRL CEO and the ARL chairman, he has a lot of influence and authority that the game has not seen before.
I don’t see how Wayne’s proposal is very different to the Captain’s challenge??
The problem with the bunker, in my opinion, is inconsistency between one game and another.
I believe that the best way to address that is to have a small pool of _dedicated_ bunker officials, separate to the referees.
With a small independent body (just 4 or 4) there would be less variability in decisions. Do that and I think the need for Wayne’s change disappears.
“just 4 or 4”. Sorry, make that “just 3 or 4”