Elliott Whitehead has backed calls for the NRL to implement a captain's challenge system to avoid the refereeing howlers that could ultimately cost a team its premiership dream.
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The Canberra Raiders back-rower sees the concept as a way to curb the whistleblower crisis that has plagued rugby league in the lead up to the Green Machine's road trip to meet the Melbourne Storm on Saturday night.
It comes as Newcastle coach Nathan Brown throws his hand up to have the concept trialled in a Knights game in the run to the finals, with the Novocastrians all but out of title contention.
Under the captain's challenge, each side is allowed one incorrect challenge to a try decision each half. Sides can continue to challenge decisions if they are proven correct on each occasion.
It would have been crucial to Canberra's hopes against Cronulla last week after the Green Machine had two controversial calls go against them which hammered another nail into their September hopes.
Whitehead says the introduction of a system that would have allowed Raiders skipper Josh Hodgson to have crucial pieces of play reviewed simply makes sense with the game peppered by controversial calls.
"Especially lately when there has been quite a few wrong calls, just to have that challenge just to make sure it’s the wrong call or right call, I think it would be the right option to bring it into our game," Whitehead said.
"If we know we’ve got that call and we feel like there was foul play or a mistake then certainly, we can try for them, or opposite for us.
"If we think we’ve scored and they’ve ruled it out, it’s good to have that option just to go back and make sure it is the right decision.
"It is a hard job for the referees but when they’re using the bunker, they’re going up there and they’re still making the wrong decisions, that’s what I can’t justify."
The NRL trialled the captain's challenge system in Newcastle's loss to St George Illawarra two years ago and Brown said it reduced the reliance on the video referee - but the governing body never followed it up to ask for his thoughts.
Referee Gavin Reynolds and touch judge Ricky MacFarlane face being stood down for their mistakes in last Friday's Canberra-Cronulla clash while the bunker has come under fire for bizarrely overturning a Gerard Sutton's on-field ruling.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart believes there it too much "noise" from above cruelling referees, while rugby league greatss Andrew Johns and Peter Sterling have accused the NRL of over-coaching whistleblowers.
Raiders halfback Sam Williams isn't certain a captain's call would solve every problem but he left the door ajar for the concept to be trialled again in a bid to give some power back to the players.
"I know they go out there trying not to make errors, so it’s not as though it’s something consciously they’re trying to do," Williams said.
"It’s just important we do everything we can as a game to get the decision’s right… I know Josh Hodgson was the captain on the weekend and I know he probably wanted a couple of things that maybe he saw as a player, whether they’re right or wrong, it might be something we can look at going further down the field.
"I think sometimes the players maybe see things a bit clearer than the officials as well. I’m not sure if there’s scope for your captain’s call and things like that but once the decision has been made, there is nothing you can do about it and the game is over."
So maybe it is worth exploring further.
NRL ROUND 20
Saturday: Melbourne Storm v Canberra Raiders at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 7.35pm. TV: Live on Fox League.
