Gold Coast Titans coach Justin Holbrook has expressed his frustration over a costly Bunker call that allowed the Newcastle Knights to gain momentum and finish with a 46-26 win against his side.
Down 28-18, the Titans were still a chance at victory with around 16 minutes to go, but a Dane Gagai try ruined all hopes.
The centre ran through a hole created by Tyson Frizell after the Knights’ second-rower ran to the inside shoulder of Kieran Foran.
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The Gold Coast five-eighth then struggled to get anywhere near Gagai who went on to score.
Upon investigation, the Bunker ruled Foran made a defensive decision to initiate contact, however the veteran didn’t see it that way.
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“Because I’ve lowered my centre of gravity, he thinks I’ve made a defensive decision … he still impedes me trying to get to him mate,” Foran told referee Peter Gough.
Foran had a supporter in Penrith great Greg Alexander.
“I agree with everything Kieran Foran just said there, Tyson Frizell almost tripped Kieran Foran over, you just can’t do that,” he said on commentary for Fox League.
“It might be towards the inside shoulder but you still can’t make contact with the defender and not give him the opportunity to make that tackle.”
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While he was not too scathing of the obstruction call post-game, Holbrook believed Foran was impeded when defending in the line.
“I thought it wasn’t a defensive decision, he stopped and then Frizell ran into him and then he couldn’t re-go and get Gagai,” he said.
“It’s a hard thing for the Bunker, they don’t really understand it so they’ve just called it a defensive decision from Foran.”
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Albeit disappointed at the Bunker’s call, Holbrook wasn’t interested in making excuses, instead laying the blame for the loss on his side’s errors in defence.
“We let too many soft tries in,” he said.
“We let that one in, could’ve been overturned; Tanah Boyd trying to get out of the in-goal, we had four blokes on Greg Marzhew in the corner.”
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