Tigers could appeal controversial Bunker call that took away win against Cowboys, with Wests officials ‘examining all options’… but NRL insists RIGHT decision was made
REPORT: Valentine Holmes’ late penalty seals dramatic win for Cowboys
Asu Kepaoa would have knocked out Kyle Feldt with one second left
Chad Townsend used a captain’s challenge to assess the incident
Bunker intervened to award the Cowboys a penalty, which Holmes scored
Tigers claim North Queensland should not have judged the incident
But the NRL insisted that proper protocols were followed by the referee
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Wests Tigers officials have not ruled out appealing the result of Sunday’s game against North Queensland and have told the NRL they are “examining all options”.
A controversial penalty with one second left robbed the Tigers of what would have been their first win since round 11, when Valentine Holmes kicked the two-pointer to give the Cowboys a 27-26 win in Townsville.
According to the Sydney Morning Heraldhowever, outraged Tigers officials have suggested they might consider legal action in an effort to get the NRL to nullify the outcome of the game.
Wests Tigers players were left dejected after the Cowboys took a late win after a controversial penalty at Country Bank Stadium on Sunday night
Trailing 25-18 with six minutes to go, the Tigers appeared to have secured a famous comeback victory thanks to attempts by Brent Naden and Starford To’a, with the latter preventing with 90 seconds left to play.
But it was not to be for Wests, who allowed a penalty after the Cowboys started with one second on the clock when Asu Kepaoa was judged to have knocked out Kyle Feldt after the restart.
Contact between Feldt and Kepaoa seemed minimal, but the Cowboys winger ended up on the turf and North Queensland skipper Chad Townsend opted to use a captain’s challenge.
Referee Chris Buttler referred the decision to the Bunker, with video official Ashley Klein awarding the Cowboys a penalty, which Holmes duly converted.
Referee Chris Butler awarded a controversial late penalty to the Cowboys after the Bunker intervened and ruled Asu Kepaoa had knocked out Kyle Feldt
The Tigers wonder why Townsend was allowed to challenge the incident, despite it not being an interruption of the game.
After the game, stand-in Tigers coach Ben Gardiner, who replaces interim coach Brett Kimmorley after the latter contracted Covid-19, insisted that his players thought “the game was over” when Buttler blew his whistle.
“It was a moment of elation and a moment of deflation. I felt like I wasn’t quite sure why the decision was made,” he said.
“It is my understanding that when the bunker comes into play when a challenge is created it has to be when there is an indiscretion in play, when there is a glitch in play.
Valentine Holmes made no mistake and kicked the Cowboys to a 27-26 . win
The win moved North Queensland to second on the NRL ladder behind Penrith
I understand we caught the ball, the game was over and that’s where it should have ended.
“I’ve been coaching for a long time and you can get upset, you can complain, you can do everything, but it doesn’t change anything. It was a moment of deflation, that’s for sure.’
However, two hours after full-time on Sunday, the NRL claimed the proper process had been followed.
“Although the referee had blown his whistle to stop the match after the last tackle had been completed because time had expired, he had not yet called full-time,” a spokesman said.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley will likely be under pressure to explain the decision
The NRL also claimed that while the escort penalty was not given on the field, the call to stop play before the end of the game could be challenged by the Cowboys if they believed foul play had occurred.
“The whole concept of the captain’s challenge is to ensure that any decision by the referee to stop the game is subject to review,” the spokesperson said.
“If we don’t, a team would be effectively denied the right to have a service error corrected.”
The league said they would assess Monday whether the escort’s bunker call was correct.