NRL coach Darrin Borthwick criticizes the NRL bunker's decision-making during Canberra Raiders' loss in a grand final qualifier, echoing broader fan and player dissatisfaction with recent controversial calls. The article highlights two specific incidents where calls were deemed line-ball by officials despite being referred to the bunker for review. It also mentions ongoing concerns about forward passes not being reviewed by the bunker and players like James Tedesco expressing worries over how these decisions might affect big games.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The recent National Rugby League (NRL) season has seen controversies over refereeing decisions, particularly involving video assistant referees (VARs). In a Sunday match, Dane Gagai received a contentious call that was not overturned despite perceived irregularities, and the previous day, Casey McLean's attempt at scoring was denied in tight circumstances. These events follow criticism from Darrin Borthwick, coach of the Canberra Raiders' women’s team (NRLW), regarding incorrect no-try calls against his player Lili Boyle during a crucial match on Saturday. The NRL has not yet conducted an official review or commented publicly on these incidents, despite growing public dissatisfaction with the accuracy and fairness of refereeing decisions in recent matches. This lack of immediate action further fuels doubts about the reliability of current officiating systems in high-stakes games like the grand final coming up soon.
Written for “NRL Bunker Controversies” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
“Someone riding a skateboard out the front could do a better job at the moment.
uncertain
Someone → rid → moment
Our game is going crazy.”
asserted
game → go → ?
Say what you want about the nation’s faith in Canberra, but flabbergasted Raiders NRLW coach Darrin Borthwick seems to have tapped into the prevailing public sentiment towards the NRL bunker.
asserted
Borthwick → say → bunker
Borthwick was lamenting a critical no-try call against Canberra’s Lili Boyle in Saturday’s 10-point grand final qualifier loss to the all-conquering Roosters, 24 hours after Ashley Klein once again garnered more spotlight than any referee – either on the paddock or in the Eveleigh Street command centre – would ever want.
asserted
referee → lament → centre
The NRL has yet to conduct its official review of the Roosters’ 36-20 rumbling of the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
asserted
NRL → have → night
It came with two more divisive calls in a finals series full of them – with on-field official Adam Gee ruling Jamayne Isaako planted the ball inside the sideline, and that Mark Nawaqanitawase had thrown a ball back inside before his boot slid into touch.
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boot → come → touch
That the NRL did not call an emergency football department meeting, and hasn’t offered any public comment, reiterates what sources privately indicated to this masthead after full-time.
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sources → call → time
Both calls were considered line-ball.
asserted
calls → consider → ?
And given both were referred upstairs as tries by Gee, Klein is not considered to have had enough evidence to overturn them.
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Klein → give → them
Though, again, this is before the NRL’s full review takes place.
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review → take → place
So there was no intervention when Dane Gagai shovelled the ball forward to Dominic Young for his life-giving four-pointer on Sunday afternoon, even if the bunker correctly ruled his grounding was sound.
Video referee Chris Butler had insufficient evidence to overturn the on-field “no try” ruling against Casey McLean too when the Knights denied him a late surge at the line by the barest of margins.
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Knights → be → margins
For all the sentiment out of the NRL though, and Peter V’landys’ all-too ready, weekly claim that the bunker gets 98 per cent of decisions correct, the comments of Borthwick resonate with plenty of fans.
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comments → get → fans
So too, the concerns of James Tedesco at the NRL’s finals launch that a big game could be decided by ambiguous, unexplained set restarts.
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game → decide → restarts
Or Immortal Andrew Johns’ fears that heavy-handed refereeing will swing an Origin contest rather than the players.
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refereeing → swing → contest
Talk to punters on the street or at the pub, and it’s the bunker and six agains – and how they impact their team – that they care most about.
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they → talk → that
Significantly more than any stake the NRL claims in the Super League, or Japan, or wherever else V’landys throws a dart at in his plans for world domination.
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V’landys → claim → domination
After Wayne Bennett and South Sydney hit the roof following their week-one finals exit and Klein’s axing in the wake of his last-minute Eden Park mishap, the feeling exists across the game.
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feeling → hit → game
As much as the NRL doesn’t want it to.
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it → want → ?
How much influence will the officials, be they on the ground or in the box, have on the grand final?
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they → have → final
To V’landys credit, The Sun-Herald brought news that a seemingly a nailed-on desire to introduce his new kick-off rule in 2027 has apparently been wound back.
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Herald → bring → 2027
“We will meet with the coaches and players and go through it,” V’landys said.
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V’landys → meet → it
The same pages brought a promise from the newly minted ARL Commission executive chairman to stick to his guns on this year’s expanded six again remit.
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pages → bring → remit
As V’landys settles into his new throne, however, his words from his first day as regular old ARLC chairman on October 31, 2019 have a real ring to them seven years on.
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words → settle → them
“To be frank, we need to improve our refereeing,” V’landys said.
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V’landys → need → refereeing
“That’s the biggest single problem at the moment.
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That → ’ → moment
Being from the racing industry, there’s one thing that I’ve learnt, it’s that punters or fans don’t like to be ripped off.
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punters → ’ → that
You can’t have them walk away thinking that they’ve been ripped off.”
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they → have → ?
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Friday.
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News → send → sport
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