3 minute read
NRL head of football has admitted that Manly's Jack Gosiewski was offside in the lead up to Reuben Garrick's match-winning eight-point try against Canberra.
The NRL have conceded Manly were offside in the lead-up to Reuben Garrick's match-winning eight-point try during Sunday's thrilling win over Canberra.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley admitted that Jack Gosiewski jumped off the mark before taking an intercept off Josh Hodgson which led to the Sea Eagles going the length of the field.
The Sea Eagles took the lead after Joey Leilua kneed Garrick in the back during the act of scoring, leading to the referees awarding the first eight-point try of the season before Des Hasler's men went on to win 18-14.
Annesley said Gosiewski was only offside by a matter of centimetres, contradicting some claims made on social media that the Manly back-rower was several metres offside at the point the ball was played.
"Did they get this wrong? Yes, I think they did," Annesley said.
"It's reasonably marginal. But it's not as portrayed in some of the things circulating - I've read reports of him being four or five metres offside, which clearly is not the case.
"And all of these things are happening in a split second."
Annesley also defended the decision of the on-field referees not to ask the bunker to scrutinise the Sea Eagles defensive line.
The video referees were asked to adjudicate on Leilua's contest on Garrick and whether an eight-point try was warranted.
While Annesley conceded the call was wrong, he said referring defensive onside rulings to the bunker would slow the game down and was fraught with danger.
"The management of the 10 metres has always been left in the hands of the on-field officials because there are times where referees will play advantage," Annesley said.
"There will be times when players are marginally in front of referees and if we try to introduce the bunker into that element, it's got trouble written all over it.
"Plus we'd see many, many, many more decisions going to the bunker."
