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The NRL has conceded Roosters star Rob Toia was incorrectly denied a critical try as the governing body clarified that there is no blanket ban on competing with only one hand in aerial contests.
The Bunker’s no-try call against Toia in Saturday’s win over Cronulla stunned most observers, with opposing coaches Trent Robinson and Craig Fitzgibbon declaring they no longer understood how disruptors and contact under the high ball was being adjudicated.
NRL head of elite football Graham Annesley told this masthead on Sunday that Toia should not have been denied a first-half four-pointer for “incidental” contact with Sharks winger Sam Stonestreet in the air.
A contentious penalty against Cowboys No.1 Scott Drinkwater against Brisbane was also deemed to have been incorrectly ruled on Friday night, but the NRL insists the disruptor rule remains valid to ensure fair contests in the air.
“The Toia decision and in the Drinkwater call on Friday night, we think that the judgment the Bunker applied was incorrect,” Annesley said.
“The important thing is that there will be contact in kick contests. The overriding factor in these matters is, was the contest a fair contest? Did both players have equal opportunity to try and win that contest?
“There are a number of indicators that we look for - are [kick chasers] arriving too early, are they pretending to compete for the ball? In these two incidents, the standard applied was far too high. We think they were genuine contests and should have been ruled as disruptors.
“The referees and Bunker officials have to apply their own judgements to each case and we’ll review all kick contests from the weekend and work with the referees coaching staff on the required standards.
“But there’s a legitimate reason for the rule and that’s to protect players [from] getting taken out unfairly without an opportunity to contest the ball.
“We just have to make sure that we apply the right standard in determining what is and what is not a fair contest. ”
The NRL’s revised interpretations of disruptors in 2026 came out of the off-season coaches meeting in December where the likes of Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart, Ivan Cleary, Michael Maguire and Fitzgibbon endorsed several rule changes.
Feedback from the game’s leading mentors reiterated that players were being adeptly coached to baulk at contesting high balls and unfairly forcing errors from defending players.
Robinson said after the Roosters 34-22 win over Cronulla that he agreed with the increased policing of disruptors because last year “there was too much disturbing of fullbacks, there were people who weren’t competing. That’s [now] gone too far.”
Annesley also clarified a “public misconception” about whether players are required to use two hands in aerial contests given confusion around that indicator of a potential disruptor.
Panthers legend and respected commentator Greg Alexander spoke to the confusion of many when he asked “can you jump up with one hand and bat the ball back?” when Mark Nawaqanitawase did exactly that for a Daly Cherry-Evans try at Optus Stadium.
NRL communications to clubs on the eve of the season’s kick-off stated “genuinely contesting is deemed to mean arriving at the ball at the same time as the defender and with two arms in the air to catch or bat the ball back”.
“What we found though was players were flying through at high velocity doing nothing but swiping at the ball with one hand and in doing so cleaning up a catching who is standing there waiting for the ball,” Annesley said.
“That is not a fair contest. But there is no blanket ban on a one-handed approach and knocking the ball back. The [Nawaqanitawase] example there was little to no contact involved and it was a legitimate contest. As long as it’s a fair contest, that’s what we’re ruling on, and there will be interpretations of that.
“By and large, the match officials get these right. We will put our hand up when we think we’ve got decisions wrong like in these two incidents [the Toia and Drinkwater calls] but the rule remains valid. So we’re not changing our standard or approach, it’s about ensuring a fair contest for the ball.”
