The NRL referee who mistakingly refused to refer a crucial Wests Tigers try decision to the Bunker is “very upset” following the controversial incident.
The Tigers lost to the Warriors by four points on Friday – a deficit that would have been erased had Luciano Leilua been awarded a try for his efforts during the first half.
Leilua chased a Tigers kick into the in-goal, and replays showed he almost certainly grounded it before the ball ran dead.
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But referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski ignored the Tigers’ pleas and instead ordered the Warriors to restart on their 20-metre line.
NRL’s head of football, Graham Annesley, says Przeklasa-Adamski realises he erred in not referring the decision to the Bunker, regardless of whether the Bunker would have then awarded the try or not.
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“It’s a very tight decision, whichever way it goes. The referee thought it was no try,” Annesley told media.
“The biggest mistake he made was making that decision without getting further advice.
“The referee was wrong in not referring it. He knows that, he knew it literally immediately afterwards once replays had been shown on the screen, and crowd and players became aware of it.
“He knew that he should have referred it to the Bunker, and so he is obviously very upset that he misjudged that incident in terms of how he dealt with it on the field.”
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