Bunker Controversy: Ricky Stuart Frustrated After NRL’s 26-22 Victory Over Storm

The Raiders secured a thrilling 26-22 victory over the Storm on Friday night; however, coach Ricky Stuart was left perplexed by the officiating, particularly targeting the NRL Bunker after Canberra’s attempts were thwarted twice by the video referee leaping into action.

Stuart hailed his team’s performance as the best he’s witnessed this season, yet he couldn’t shake his irritation with the league’s on-field review system.

With Canberra holding a 12-0 advantage, Hudson Young breached the try line, but his effort was dismissed following a lengthy review that indicated an accidental offside.

Furthermore, Zac Hosking’s late try was also ruled out after the replay showed that Young had tackled Storm fullback Sua Fa’alogo high during the lead-up.

When Stuart was questioned about what goes through his mind upon decisions like the Young no-try, he responded simply: “Negativity.”

Catch the 2026 NRL season live and free on Nine and 9Now.

“What strikes me is that after the conclusion of last season, it’s quite difficult to celebrate a try,” he continued. “I personally find it challenging. I used to erupt like a lunatic when we scored. Now, unless it’s an intercept or something out of the ordinary, it’s hard to cheer because you start wondering, was he onside? Did he tackle him high? I suppose that’s why the Bunker exists.”

NRL’s head of football, Graham Annesley, had previously acknowledged that the Bunker had “over-adjudicated” in the last round, admitting that some contentious calls should not have resulted in penalties.

Stuart also highlighted the inconsistency in ruck interpretations, noting that Friday night’s officiating diverged from what has been seen throughout the season.

“The entire game resembled last year’s play,” Stuart remarked. “The ruck dynamics shifted tonight. If you review the play, it was noticeably different, and the match was likely a better show because of it.”

“However, it would be advantageous to understand whether this is the new norm moving forward. Clarity on what will be enforced after tackles is essential.”

“I don’t want to come off as someone who’s just complaining, but it is challenging. It’s difficult as a coach to adapt when you’ve established a strategy that gets turned upside down like tonight.”

“And I hold no blame towards Peter or the referees; they’re following the coaching directives they’re given.”

“Nevertheless, tonight was a markedly different contest, particularly in the areas of play after tackles. I’d prefer it this way, but consistency across the board is crucial.”

“I observed a lot more time allowed in certain tackles tonight, which was refreshing. However, clarity on whether this will be the trend going forward would be greatly appreciated.”

Speaking on Friday prior to Souths’ clash with St George Illawarra at Accor Stadium, Wayne Bennett endorsed the new ruck interpretation.

“There’s no doubt this is a game-changer,” he asserted. “Right now, we’ve got a thrilling game with spectacular tries and excellent ball movement. Do we really want to regress to grapples and other terms describing outdated tackle techniques used to restrain players?”

“I certainly don’t want to see us revert to that. We endured over a decade of that, and it’s not a territory I wish to revisit.”

For the Raiders, they may be without Josh Papalii for their upcoming match against the Tigers in Sydney next Thursday, with Stuart confirming that the prop has sustained a calf injury during the match.