‘He is offside’: NRL admits to major error in Canberra’s win over the Titans

The NRL has conceded aggrieved Gold Coast coach Des Hasler had a right to be upset and his side should have been awarded a set restart which would have then turned into a penalty and a shot from in front late in their heartbreaking one-point defeat to the Canberra Raiders on Sunday.

Head of football Graham Annesley made the admission on Monday afternoon after the Raiders escaped with a thrilling 21-20 win over the Gold Coast which led to some strong words from both coaches after the game.

Hasler raged that his side was hard done by, calling out referee Kasey Badger’s performance, while Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said the Titans “cheated” around the ruck and that Hasler was “on another planet” for complaining about it.

The biggest issue was the offside play which was missed by the officials with three minutes to go in golden point, when Raiders rookie Chevy Stewart rushed out of the line from an offside position and charged down a Kieran Foran field goal attempt.

Annesley said the Titans should have been awarded a set restart the moment the fullback infringed, and that a penalty should have been blown once play broke down following a Gold Coast error.

However, he stressed the Bunker was powerless to intervene.

“He is offside. The question is, what should have happened from this,” Annesley explained.

“It’s been suggested that it should have been a penalty and two points, but it should have been a set restart if there was a suggestion that he was offside.

“The question was also raised why the Bunker didn’t review this, but the Bunker can’t review 10-metre compliance, and there’s a very good reason for that.

“In most parts of the field – depending on where the play the ball is – there are no lines to assess.

“There is never one incident that determines the outcome of a game.

“These things get focused on because they happen at critical times and they’re critical decision, and we should be getting them right.

“It’s an imperfect game played by imperfect players and controlled by imperfect referees, and they won’t get everything (right).”

Annesley also provided data from the game in response to the coaches’ complaints, with the Titans conceding eight set restarts to one, while they also lost the penalty count 5-3, with stats showing the officials missed a potential 28 offsides by the visitors.

“I understand that there will be different perspective on games, particularly straight after games where you haven’t had a lot of time to dive into this information,” he said.

“Sometimes the figures can tell a slightly different story.

“But this is straight, factual data, and none of this is interpreted. This is not us putting a spin on these. These are factual figures that come straight from statisticians.”

Annesley also conceded referees missed several sin bins for foul play over the weekend, while he defended the new disruptor rule which penalises players from putting off fullbacks or wingers by not making a genuine attempt when contesting a kick.

There were several controversial calls in round six, with fans and players questioning how the officials can judge intent based on eye line, the timing of their leap and if they make contact.

“I’m not saying that all of these are by design, but the referees are in a position where they have to make decisions on the spot,” Annesley said.

“What’s my view? I think it’s a bit of a mixed bag so far. You can argue the case on any of those, but we’re doing it because it’s becoming a trend in the game and it’s an unfair tactic, when it’s a tactic.”