Phil Gould Fumes Over ‘Completely Incorrect’ Bunker Decision That Leaves Knights Short-Changed

Phil Gould has expressed his frustration over an “utterly incorrect” ruling that disallowed a try for Knights speedster Fletcher Sharpe during Sunday’s clash with the Sharks.

After Cronulla’s front-rower Oregon Kaufusi opened the scoring early at McDonald Jones Stadium, it appeared that the visitors’ lead was on the verge of being cancelled out.

Newcastle made a dangerous raid down their formidable left-edge, linking up with Bradman Best, who quickly fed the ball inside to Sharpe, allowing the five-eighth to finish off the move.

The on-field referee, Ashley Klein, awarded the try despite Nicho Hynes’ protests, claiming he had been obstructed by Thomas Cant in the lead-up.

However, the Bunker had different ideas and overturned the decision, denying the hosts their potential points.

“They will definitely review this for obstruction,” Andrew Johns noted on Nine.

“No doubt Hynes was impeded. I understand he went for him, but they’ll overturn it.”

Gould was incensed by the decision to disallow Sharpe’s four-pointer.

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“The referee has already indicated that the play was misleading,” he stated.

“Nicho Hynes tackled a player without the ball. He was not obstructed. It was utterly incorrect – Nicho had no intention of sliding over. This is simply wrong.

“It’s players taking advantage of the rules.”

The Bunker’s ruling proved to be crucial, as the Sharks quickly added to their tally, with Addin Fonua-Blake capitalising on some excellent second-phase play.

Cronulla’s advantage grew when Sam Stonestreet crossed the line in the corner, a try that Gould referred to as a “training run” from the commentary box.

“This is unforgivable… they just went around them, it was incredibly passive,” Johns remarked.

“The defence from the Knights was woeful; they seem to be severely lacking in confidence.”

Newcastle finally got on the scoreboard at the 30-minute mark when Greg Marzhew scored out wide.