The Cowboys were awarded a rare – and controversial – penalty try against the Dolphins on Sunday that has divided opinion.
Cowboys halfback Chad Townsend put a grubber through on the second tackle which caught the defence off guard as Jeremiah Nanai and Zac Laybutt came racing through, but the ball went dead in-goal before either could ground it.
Fox League commentators Cooper Cronk and Warren Smith both initially thought the pair had bombed a try with both players waiting for the other to dive on the ball.
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But the game was stopped as the Bunker had a look and replays showed just as Laybutt looked set to ground the ball he was shoved in the back by Dolphins winger Jack Bostock.
But Smith assumed they were looking to see if Bostock touched the ball before it went dead, but the Bunker was in fact looking at a potential penalty try which was quickly awarded.
“Hang on a second, it’s a penalty try, I’ll need to take a look at that again because that wasn’t on my radar nor yours I don’t think Cooper,” Smith said.
Referee Chris Butler then explained the decision: “Jack has pushed him off the ball in a live ball situation… it would have been scored if he wasn’t. At the end of the day it was an opinion and that’s what our opinion was – that the try would have been scored.”
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But Cronk and Smith still weren’t at all convinced and both said Laybutt was never scoring the try.
“I don’t think the try would have been scored,” Cronk said.
“Neither do I, that’s a very generous interpretation of a penalty try,” Smith responded.
“It wasn’t obvious enough to me. I see there was contact but it wasn’t enough to say penalty try,” Cronk said.
“The bounce of the ball had beaten Zac Laybutt, he was beyond the dead ball line,” Smith said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more shocked to see a referee point to the ground and award a try because I didn’t think for a moment they were looking at a penalty try.”
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