Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has taken aim at the performance of Bunker official Chris Butler following his side’s preliminary final win over the Sharks.
Penrith had a contentious try to Sunia Turuva ruled out just before the hour mark after it was deemed Sharks centre Siosifa Talakai had been obstructed in the build up.
Speaking in his post-game press conference, Cleary singled out Butler’s call as “wrong,” before stating such decisions worried him heading into his fifth straight grand final next weekend against the Storm.
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“It’s been happening all year (and) that worries me about next week,” Cleary said post-game.
“The only time they scored, we should’ve scored two sets before that. It was an obstruction try which was a terrible decision and that gives me a lot of anxiety around next week if that Bunker official, I think it was Chris Butler, (is in the Bunker next week),” he said.
“I shouldn’t say that but that was wrong.
“It’s been happening all year. They shouldn’t have even scored, we shouldn’t have even been down there.”
Sunia DENIED, Talakai plays obstruction? | 00:37
Cleary believes his side “ran the play perfectly,” with lead runner Luke Garner running to the inside shoulder of the Sharks defender.
“Sifa actually initiated contact,” he said.
For the Panthers coach, who’s led his side into rare territory this season, there is concern heading into next week’s game at Accor Stadium is either Butler “or someone else is going off of the game script.”
“I’m concerned.”
Cleary cited recent calls from arguably the greatest coach of all time Wayne Bennett, who called for the NRL to get rid of the Bunker following the Dolphins’ recent loss to the Knights, a game defined by a controversial Dolphins try ruled out for obstruction.
Penrith reach fifth straight Grand Final | 02:45
“(What) Wayne Bennett, the best of all time, came out and said after their game against Newcastle he was 100% right. He said someone’s going to suffer in the finals,” Cleary said.
“I feel sad for the teams going forward over the next four weeks in the sense that we can’t get it right and some other team will play a price for it,” Bennett said at the time.
Cleary said his side were fortunate the decision didn’t cost them in the end but doubled down on his criticisms of the officiating.
“There was no understanding of what we were trying to do, the play we were trying to do,” he said.
“Next week, the biggest game of the year, I’d hate to see something like that happen.”
The Penrith coach called on referees boss Graham Annesley to “work it out” and ensure next week’s game is decided by the players, and not Bunker officials.
Talakai takes out Luai with late shot! | 00:43
“It’s a big call for Graham. I don’t know if Graham makes the selection on who’s in the Bunker but whoever’s in there needs to understand what we’re trying to do,” he said.
“There’s a lot of referees not reffing next week, some of the best in the game, surely someone can work that out.
There were several other contentious calls in the game, including a trip from Toby Rudolf and a late shot from Siosifa Talakai on Jarome Luai.
Asked about the Rudolf trip, Cleary noted such incidents “used to be a send off in my day,” but failed to comment on the Talakai hit, which many feel the centre was lucky not to get 10 in the bin for.
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