‘It won’t stop’: Bennett unloads on Bunker after Souths exit
Updated . First published at
South Sydney’s premiership hopes crumbled in one devastating moment on Friday night, as veteran Cody Walker hobbled off in his side’s 20-10 loss to Newcastle.
But it was the second-half Bunker decision to overturn a Jayden Sullivan try that left Wayne Bennett fuming in his post-match press conference.
Cody Walker reacts to his injury. NRL Imagery
Walker had a quiet start to the elimination final defeat against the Knights before disaster struck, as the five-eighth collapsed with a lower-leg injury.
Walker immediately signalled to the Souths bench and hobbled off the field on his good leg, before collapsing to the turf in agony once he reached the sideline.
The look on Walker’s face told the full story.
“He’s gone, he knows,” Brad Fittler said on Nine.
There were some concerns around an Achilles injury, but it was confirmed during the half-time break that Walker had suffered a calf injury.
Despite playing some brilliant football this season, Walker remains unsigned with the Bunnies for 2027 and there is no guarantee he will be extended by the club, especially after the injury setback and Souths’ tight salary cap.
Newcastle got on the board first in soft fashion, when three players including Latrell Mitchell let Dom Young jump for a high ball but failed to contain his rangy frame, allowing the winger to pop an offload away to Jermaine McEwen.
Things threatened to spill over when Mitchell and former teammate Dane Gagai exchanged words, then pushes and potentially even some strikes.
Both men were eventually separated and after some extended deliberation, on-field referee Ashley Klein opted to caution the two captains, with Mitchell and Gagai managing to escape a trip to the sin bin for the melee.
Gagai got one over the Bunnies when he pounced on a deft grubber kick, winning a foot race with Matt Dufty to plant it down before the dead-ball line.
The hosts kicked back before the break, despite Walker’s absence, as Campbell Graham polished off a piece of ad-lib footy in the corner.
In the second half, the Rabbitohs looked to have levelled the scores after some razzle-dazzle play ended with Sullivan diving over.
However, after a lengthy Bunker review, the try was overturned after replays showed a loose carry from Alex Johnston as opposed to a Knights strip.
There were loud chants of “bullshit” from the South Sydney fans in attendance.
Alex Johnston has the ball dislodged as James Bracey reacts in the background. NRL Imagery
Speaking to media after the match, Bennett didn’t hold back when asked about the decision and took aim at the Bunker system.
“The quicker they get rid of the bunker, the happier I’ll be,” he said
“I think anyone that plays rugby league or knows rugby league, knows there was a knock-on ... the ball was knocked out of his hands so.
“The referee awards a try, then the Bunker says it’s a no try and then 10 minutes later, the Newcastle winger goes down the sideline – I’m not sure whether he put his foot on the line or not – but the bottom line is, the Bunker comes back and says they will go with the referee’s call. I want to know who’s reffing the game?
“In the case of the Alex Johnston one, they award the try. You can look at it 50 times, everyone can come up with a different opinion, it’s too technical.
“It’s not what the game needs. I don’t think the Bunker enhances our game to the amount that we believe it does.
Wayne Bennett speaks to media. Nine
“I’m happy to live with the referee’s call, always have been and always will be ... the Bunker was supposed to be 100 per cent bulletproof and it’s not.
“It’s gonna happen through the playoffs, it won’t stop here tonight. There will be more instances through the playoffs, I can promise you.
“I’m over the decisions they make and the impact it has on teams. The ref is doing his job properly, the best he can, he’ll make a mistake, I can live with that.
“What I can’t live with is this thing called the Bunker that’s supposed to be 100 per cent perfect ... I wanna know who’s running the game.”
To make matters worse, Johnston was soon off the field too with a groin injury.
The game’s all-time leading try-scorer was hampered for a few minutes, before Young raced past him to set up McEwen’s second try.
The personnel changes mattered little as Young putting the icing on the cake for the Knights, scoring a controversial try which Bennett alluded to, with questions over whether his foot touched the sideline before he dived over in the corner.
Bunker official Chris Butler cleared the try after viewing multiple replay angles and that was all she wrote for South Sydney’s 2026 campaign.
Gray gave the red and green fans a glimmer of hope with five minutes to go, but two misplaced passes in a row from Dufty and Tallis Duncan landed in the hands of Knights defenders, as the visitors scrambled to hold on for an upset win.
