Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga suggested he didn’t understand the rule which allowed the NRL Bunker to gift Brisbane a bizarre try on Thursday night.
The two teams were locked in a thrilling arm wrestle at Hunter Stadium, with the scoreboard sitting 14-12 in favour of the Broncos up to the 67th minute.
It was then that a controversial incident sunk Newcastle hearts and opened the floodgates for Brisbane to run away with it and win 36-12.
AS IT HAPPENED: Broncos run over top of Knights as Bunker controversy reigns
The incident in question came in Brisbane’s defensive half. Te Maire Martin caught and then passed the ball as he ran behind teammate Jordan Riki, who was clearly obstructing Knights defender Adam Clune.
Commentators assumed the play would be called back, even though the on-field referee allowed it to continue and Selwyn Cobbo ended up sprinting away to the try line.
The Bunker was then able to examine the lead-up, and did look at replays of the Clune obstruction, but somehow decided to give it the green light and awarded the try.
Andrew Johns called the decision “laughable” while fellow legend Brad Fittler was equally bemused.
“A lot of times when they do catch on the inside, it doesn’t impede,” Fittler said on Nine’s coverage.
NRL Highlights: Knights v Broncos – Round 11
“This time you can clearly see Clune has Riki right in front of him, so he couldn’t see what Te Maire Martin was doing with the ball.
“That is a bad call. A bad call.”
While it was only one try, it halted any momentum the Knights had and allowed Brisbane to get on a four-try run to finish the game.
Knights respond to controversial costly call
Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien did well to hold his temper in the post-match press conference.
“I’ll make it really clear – because that happened is no reason for us to… that score line at the end there is inexcusable,” the coach said.
“I get it took a bit of wind out of the sails. I think if that happens on the 10-metre line or on the try line – the rules should be the same all the way down the field, in my opinion.
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“It didn’t help. At 14-12 I thought ‘we’re coming back here’, but no. I don’t get it, I don’t understand it.
“If that happened down there (near the tryline) it would have been pulled up, in my opinion.”
Captain Ponga looked dejected after his side fell to 3-8 win-loss this season.
“It was disappointing,” he said of the Bunker call.
“I thought we were coming back, (we) had momentum, energy was high in our favour. Then to have that call… the most disappointing part was how we finished.”
Ponga bamboozles Broncos defence
Ponga was asked what referee Adam Gee offered as an explanation for the Bunker’s decision.
“(Martin) passed the ball straight away. So, from my take, you can now catch the ball behind someone and pass it straight away,” Ponga said.
“I don’t know. That’s what he said.”
The Knights were dudded by a separate Bunker call earlier in the night, when Dane Gagai had a try stripped because the video official claimed he lost the ball.
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