Interim Dragons coach Dean Young has suggested the NRL introduce a shot clock for bunker officials who he feels are taking too many looks at replays and are then becoming confused, leading to incorrect decisions.

The comments come in the wake of a shocker last Sunday where Raiders winger Xavier Savage was awarded a try even though replays showed teammates Simi Sasagi had clearly knocked the ball forward after attempting to intercept a pass.

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Referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski awarded the try, with bunker official Adam Gee looking at it for 111 seconds before he decided to support the on-field ruling.

Legendary halfback Cooper Cronk was shocked in commentary, while Dragons veteran Damien Cook intimated that even Canberra players thought it wasn’t a try.

The NRL has since conceded the bunker shouldn’t have awarded the try.

“Maybe a shot clock on how long they’ve got to look at the decision,” Young replied when asked how he would fix things.

“The NRL invited me to go up and sit in the bunker a few weeks ago. I went up and watched the Raiders and Dolphins play to get a better understanding of what the bunker is going through, and they’ve got a lot going on.

“But I think the longer they’re looking at things is putting them in a situation to have the howlers.

“Everyone could see in the stadium the other day that it wasn’t a try, but the longer they look at it, they’re trying to convince themselves that it might be.

“I think they’re overthinking it.”

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The bunker looks at all scoring plays and has the power to overturn on-field rulings, but decisions like the one last weekend are frustrating coaches given a correct call would have seen the Dragons on the attack down by two points with 25 minutes to go.

Gee won’t be in the bunker this week but has been chosen to referee Penrith’s clash with South Sydney on Friday night.

“The referees have got a really, really tough job,” Young said.

“They’re under so much pressure because the game is so quick now and they’ve got to make so many decisions on the run.

“They don’t get every decision right, and neither do my players; that’s the reality.

“One thing that when we review our games and we’re slowing the vision down and we’re watching the clip in eagle cam, my players take about 15 seconds to work out if they made a good decision defensively or a good decision or not with the ball.

“That’s where the frustration comes that the bunker’s got the technology and they’ve got the time because no one is rushing them to make a decision, but they’re getting too many wrong.

“I feel like the referees are awarding tries knowing that if it’s not a try that they can go to the bunker and the bunker will say no try.

“And then the bunker’s taking too long to get to a decision, they’re getting confused and they’re going with the referee’s decision which is a try, and that’s where the issues lie.”

— Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)

TIGERS APPOINT NEW CEO

The Wests Tigers have announced that Shaun Mielekamp will be the club’s permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO), having served on an interim basis since the end of 2025.

Previously the CEO of the Central Coast Mariners for nearly a decade, during which he took them to success both domestically and internationally, Mielekamp’s appointment had unanimous support from the Tigers board.

Having laid the foundations of his vision for the joint venture throughout this year, he will look to take the club back to the finals and succeeds Shane Richardson in the role.

“Shaun has done a wonderful job since joining us in 2024 and on behalf of the Board, I’d like to congratulate him on this appointment – it’s thoroughly deserved,”Wests Tigers Chairman Barry O’Farrell said.

“Throughout this year, Shaun has proven just how valuable he is to this Club, bringing everyone together around a shared vision for the Wests Tigers.

“We’ve secured a highly sought after administrator, with a strong track record. This is a huge win for everyone connected with the Wests Tigers and we look forward to working with Shaun over the remainder of 2026 and beyond.”

Wests Tigers’ chief executive Shaun Mielekamp.Pic: TigersSource: Supplied