The NRL has defended a call to allow North Queensland to challenge a last-minute play and kick their way to a controversial 27-26 win over Wests Tigers.
Down 26-25 with one second left and play re-starting following a Tigers try, North Queensland claimed winger Kyle Feldt was impeded while running after a kick-off as referee Chris Butler blew his whistle after the siren.
Despite no penalty being awarded, Cowboys captain Chad Townsend was able to ask for the play to be reviewed.
The Bunker then gave North Queensland an escort penalty, and Valentine Holmes kicked the Cowboys home.
Amid the controversy, Wests Tigers officials told the Sydney Morning Herald they will consider legal options, after believing they were unfairly penalised in their final play loss.
However, two hours after fulltime on Sunday, the NRL claimed the correct process had been followed.
"Although the referee had blown his whistle to stop the game after the last tackle was completed as time had expired, he had not yet called fulltime," a spokesman said.
The NRL also claimed that while the escort penalty was not blown on field, the call of stopping play for the end of the match was able to be challenged by the Cowboys if they believed there had been foul play.
"The whole concept of the captain's challenge is to make sure any decision by the referee that stops the game can be reviewed," the spokesman said.
"To not do so would effectively deny a team the right to have an officiating error corrected."
The league said they would review on Monday whether The Bunker call of escort was a correct one.
The incident capped a dramatic finish for both Holmes and the Cowboys, as the Queensland State of Origin star slotted the Cowboys' 27th point on his 27th birthday.
North Queensland coach Todd Payten admitted it was "debatable" whether his side deserved the win, but said with some calls going against them this season, they would happily take the two points.
"I guess what goes around comes around, and we got one tonight," he said.
The Tigers had led 18-6 just after halftime, and trailed 25-18 with seven minutes to play when Holmes kicked a field goal after he and fellow Origin representative Jeremiah Nanai scored tries in the second half.
But four-pointers for Brent Naden and Starford To'a in the 74th and 78th minute looked set to hand the Tigers their first win since round 11 and a memorable 300th NRL game for James Tamou before the late drama.
Ultimately Adam Doueihi's three missed conversions also came back to haunt the Tigers, who dominated the contest with the in-form Cowboys far from their best.
"It was a moment of elation and then a moment of deflation," said Tigers assistant coach Ben Gardiner, speaking in place of interim coach Brett Kimmorley, absent due to COVID-19.
"I wasn't quite sure on why the decision was made. My understanding is that when The Bunker comes into play, or when there's a challenge made, it has to be when there's an indiscretion in the play, or there's a breakdown of the play.
"My understanding is we caught the ball, the game was over, and that's where it should have ended."
AAP
