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The horde of rugby league fans frustrated with the role of the Bunker during the 2016 season have some good news to sink their teeth into today, with the NRL announcing the cut-back of plays the Bunker is permitted to rule on.
While the system will still be in play to clarify point-scoring plays, in-goal restarts and reportable offences, the Bunker will no longer be able to adjudicate on 40-20s and knock-ons in general play.
The decision comes after “an extensive review” of the Bunker throughout 2016, a process which involved consultation with a wide range of the game’s stakeholders including head coaches, the Competition Committee, broadcasters and fans.
“We will continuously review the performance of the Bunker to ensure we keep improving. The review at the conclusion of the first season of the technology has led us to make some changes to the scope and operations of the system,” the NRL’s head of football, Brian Canavan, said.
“As we all become more accustomed to the incredible technology that we have at our disposal, we will always look to refine the system to ensure that the Bunker serves the fans, the clubs and players in the best way possible.
“Prior to the 2016 season, we set out to deliver improved accuracy, efficiency, consistency and transparency from a video review perspective and we did so.
“We are extremely confident that we will deliver on those key pillars again.”
Despite the changes top the system, both Canavan and Tony Archer, the NRL’s general manager officiating, lauded the introduction of the Bunker in 2016, claiming the system had a positive impact on the standard of refereeing in the competition.
“Five errors out of 709 video referee referrals were recorded in 2016, which is a significant improvement on 2015,” Archer said.
“Clearly we will always target zero errors but there will always be a human element to our decision-making.”
Archer said the average length of video reviews decreased thanks to the Bunker, down to 64 seconds, a 17 per cent improvement from 2015.
The NRL is also planning to clarify the communication between the Bunker and the fans by providing immediate explanations of key decisions on social media.
The changes will come into effect from the upcoming All Stars game, which will be played this coming Friday in Newcastle.
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