Bulldogs coach Des Hasler has called on the ARL Commission to adopt an NFL-style video review where the on-field officials are responsible for all decisions.
Reacting to the botched calls made by video referees Steve Clark and Paul Simpkins which cost North Queensland dearly Friday night's semi-final loss to Manly, Hasler said the extra referees had to be abolished.
Clark and Simpkins incorrectly awarded a match-sealing try to Sea Eagles winger Michael Oldfield, when five-eighth Kieran Foran appeared to knock-on in the lead-up.
That duo has been stood down from this week's preliminary finals and replaced by Chris Ward and Bernard Sutton.
In the NFL, the on-field referees gather to watch replays in a sideline booth before explaining their decisions to the crowd.
"If we keep the video referee, then the only ones judging the video referee should be the (on-field) referees," Hasler said.
"Somehow we've got to set up the vision on the sideline for the two referees to go and look at the vision themselves. Let them make the call.
"They're exposed to it the most, they're there in the moment, they do all the work during the week.
"That also removes all benefit of the doubt and it's up to them.
"If they get it wrong, they get it wrong and we move on.
"You see it happening in the NFL and it works really well, we won't waste any more time than what we're doing at the moment with the normal video referee and they've got a better feel for it."
Foran accepts the decision by referees boss Bill Harrigan that he did knock the ball forward in the build-up to Oldfield's controversial try.
But the Manly playmaker said in the heat of the moment he did not think he touched the ball.
"In the heat of the moment I didn't think I touched it, and that is what I said after the game," Foran explained.
"But they've obviously reviewed it and it's turned out differently."
Foran said he understood the furore the situation has created, but said it should not overshadow a very strong performance that saw the premiers move one step away from a second successive grand final appearance.
"It was a fairly big decision, it's finals footy and you want to see referees get those decisions right, so I am not really surprised it has dragged on," he said.
"There were a couple of decisions that were funny like the Oldfield try and the strip that led to their second try.
"But I do think it has overshadowed the win a bit. We played our best 80 minutes in about six weeks.
"We put in a good performance, we really felt we ground the Cowboys down and deserved to win."
Meanwhile, Sea Eagles centre Steve Matai says he owes his team-mates a good performance after missing last weekend's win over the Cowboys.
The 28-year-old returns from a one-week suspension and says he feels a responsibility to do all he can to help Manly reach the grand final.
"I'm going to be out there doing everything I can to help the team get across the line," he said.
AAP/ABC
Tags: rugby-league, sport, manly-2095, nsw, australia, townsville-4810, qld First posted September 18, 2012 12:17:48