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‘I don’t want to challenge the integrity of the game’: Fitzy loses his cool over the Bunker

FOX SPORTS Australia · Matt Jones · 2026-09-05T12:43:16+00:00 · nguồn gốc

‘I don’t want to challenge the integrity of the game’: Fitzy loses his cool over the Bunker Craig Fitzgibbon has hit out at the inconsistencies of the Bunker and its influence after the Sharks were on the receiving end of a couple of bad calls in their 24-20 loss to the Storm at home. Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The visitors got off to a good start, leading 12-0 but the first try to Hugo Peel came off a blatant forward pass from Nick Meaney. The Storm were given the next try by the Bunker who disagreed with the on-field ruling that Sualauvi Faalogo has failed to ground a ball before it went over the dead-ball line. Replays looked inconclusive which should have meant the Bunker went with the on-field call, but it didn’t and deemed there was space between the ball and dead-ball line. None of it impressed Fitzgibbon. “If you don’t know what a forward pass looks like at this current point of your career, I don’t know either,” he said. “I just thought we’d played well enough to win the game today. And then you have that. “It’s not going to change what happens next week either. So in fact, if I’m sooking about it, it will put pressure on me next week.” Fitzgibbon, perhaps courageously, brought up the world ‘integrity’ when talking about the Bunker’s influence and how it is changing some on-field decisions but not others. “I don’t want to challenge the integrity of the game, but I’d like to see the integrity of the game remain. A forward pass is a forward pass, and if you’re going to back the referee, back the referee. But don’t back him some weeks and then turn around the week after and don’t do it,” Fitzgibbon said. Sharks captain Cameron McInnes was critical of the six-again rule in the lead up to the game and it didn’t change post-match. He claimed the players often didn’t know what the six-agains were for and lamented about what he deemed as inconsistencies in the way the referee interprets the rule. “You just don’t know what you’re going to get,” McInnes said. “I’ve been playing the game a long time and I couldn’t tell you what they’re for. “I know it’s hard for the ref, but like sometimes it just feels like it’s for the sake of it.” The Sharks looked like they were heading for a win before a miracle last minute play by the Storm saw the ball go through 11 sets of hands before Trent Loiero scored off a sensational Harry Grant behind the back pass.