'There's no way he can get in trouble': Debate rages as Raiders left fuming

Raiders officials lodged a formal complaint with the NRL after an incident in Sunday's loss to Cronulla sparked questions about the Sharks' gamesmanship.

Sharks trainer Daniel Holdsworth ran past Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty as he was lining up a conversion from the sideline at a crucial point in the contest.

Cronulla led 30-22 inside the final eight minutes. A successful conversion would have reduced the deficit to six - only for Fogarty's attempt to rocket into the goal post.

The NRL is discussing whether the Sharks - who won the game 36-22 - have a case to answer, with officials analysing footage from a range of different angles to assess whether Holdsworth obstructed Fogarty's vision.

"We have looked at [the incident]. The Sharks trainer is something we're considering at the moment," NRL head of football Graham Annesley said on Tuesday.

"That's a separate process. Any of those sorts of things have potential for breach notices issued to clubs. That ultimately goes through a different internal process and that can take a couple of days for that to happen.

"We're looking at that at the moment."

The moment has sparked fierce debate in rugby league circles, with some likening it to the moment Parramatta trainer Steve Murphy sprinted past the goal posts as Nathan Cleary lined up a conversion attempt in 2022.

The Eels beat Penrith by two points that night, with the NRL handing Parramatta a breach notice of $5000.

Sharks great Paul Gallen says the two incidents are like chalk and cheese, adamant Cronulla should have no case to answer.

"Daniel Holdsworth is off the field, he's not even on the field, and Fogarty is looking at nothing but the ball," Gallen said on Nine's 100% Footy.

"He was running back to get a message from the coaches. If he wasn't back there, he would have got in trouble off the coach, so I'm running back there ASAP.

"He's off the field. He's out of the field of play so there's no way he can get in trouble. He's not on the field.

"The other one you're talking about, he's in the field of play running straight across the goal posts."

Phil Gould says similar incidents happen regularly.

"Players will be lining up for a kick near a sideline when a bloke has been replaced, you'll see players walk past them all the time and have a crack at them," Gould said.

"They smile, you see them giggle because they talk to each other. 'Alfie' Langer stands right in your hip pocket."

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has rarely been one to mince his words - and Sunday night was no different after Canberra coughed up an 18-0 lead.

"Nobody was solid, mate. There wasn't a player on our team that was solid. Don't be giving praise to people who don't deserve it," Stuart said.

So could Stuart make changes ahead of Sunday's clash with Parramatta at Canberra Stadium?

Canberra's momentum was dented when Joe Tapine and Josh Papalii left the field, sparking questions about whether one could start from the bench to ensure one of the experienced props are on the paddock at almost all times.

Corey Horsburgh struggled in his NRL return while a concussion is set to keep Zac Hosking sidelined.

Elliott Whitehead is likely to return to the fray following a calf injury while Raiders fans are desperate to see Trey Mooney and Hohepa Puru in the top grade.

Mooney has averaged 176 running metres in four NSW Cup appearances this year, scoring three tries and breaking 18 tackles in the process. He averages almost 28 tackles per game.

Puru has averaged 149 metres, scoring two tries and breaking 12 tackles while boasting a tackle efficiency of 91 per cent.

"We won't be forgetting that night real quickly, I can promise you. It was really poor and it'll be dealt with," Stuart said.

"That was half of Newtown in there and our second grade were as poor yesterday. That was a massive win for that NRL team there, Cronulla.

"They deserve recognition for it because they've been hit by a lot of injuries, they've got a lot of Newtown boys in there, second graders and they got the job done where our blokes didn't."