NRL give ruling on Sharks' contentious match-winner
NRL Head of Football Graham Annesley has revealed the conversations between the Bunker and onfield officials that led to the Cronulla Sharks’ match-winning try being approved against the St George-Illawarra Dragons.
Though a try was awarded on the field, the Bunker was brought in to assess whether Wade Graham had knocked-on just before Bronson Xerri sped away for the crucial four-pointer. It was eventually upheld.
Graham added fuel to the fire after the win, saying the ball had “clipped” his arm.
“I wasn’t about to go tell them I touched it, but sometimes you get it, sometimes you don’t,” Graham said.
While reaction has been divided, Annesley says he and the NRL have given the decision the all-clear.
In his weekly briefing, he provided audio from the Bunker that wasn’t aired on TV which demonstrates the reasoning behind the try being awarded.
Annesley says that a key aspect of the call was that the Bunker moved on from whether Graham had touched the ball to whether it had been knocked forward, ultimately decided it had not.