September 12, 2026 — 0:06 am Save You have reached the maximum number of items saved. Remove items from the saved list to add new ones. AAA Wayne Bennett blew up the NRL bunker after Alex Johnston was found guilty of a crucial step during the Rabbitohs’ 20-10 defeat to Newcastle and declared: “The sooner they get rid of the bunker, the happier I’ll be.” South Sydney lost Cody Walker to a calf injury and then fell to an impressive Knights side, who now move into the second week of the finals to take on the losers of Saturday’s Warriors-Dolphins clash. Approaching the hour mark at Allianz Stadium on Friday night, Latrell Mitchell passed to Johnston, who appeared to have the ball taken away by Knights defender Jermaine McEwen. Play was allowed to continue, Johnston sent the ball forward, then Jayden Sullivan struck further forward to score. Referee Ashley Klein awarded the try, but bunker official Chris Butler had other ideas, claiming McEwen was trying to make a tackle and Johnston simply lost the ball. Instead of potentially taking a 12-10 lead, Souths fell behind and 10 minutes later conceded a try to Dominic Young, who appeared to have his right foot on the touchline. Jeremaine McEwen stole the ball from Alex Johnston?Nine Bennett praised Newcastle for a “terrific performance” and tried not to deviate from the result, but he was also clearly disappointed by the bunker, which should have ruled out all controversial decisions. “Anyone who plays rugby league or knows rugby league knows it was fake,” Bennett said. “The ball was knocked out of him [Johnston’s] hands. “The referee calls a try, then the bunker agrees and says the try is impossible. “Ten minutes later, Newcastle striker Dom Young goes down the touchline. I’m not sure he put his foot on the sideline, but the point is that the bunker comes back and says, “We’re going with the umpire’s call.” “I want to know who is refereeing the game, that’s the first thing I want to know. “Is it the bunker or the referee? “With Alex Johnston… you can look at it 50 times and everyone can come up with a different opinion. It’s too technical. It’s not what the game needs.” Cody Walker is limping with a calf injury.NRL “I’ve been in the game for a long time, I’ve seen a lot of things, and I don’t think the bunker improves our game to the level [level] we believe so.” Bennett said he was happy to live with bad refereeing decisions, but he was prepared to deal with mistakes made by his own players. “But the bunker was supposed to be 100 percent bulletproof, and it’s not,” he said. “It won’t end tonight. There will be more of this in the playoffs, I promise you.” Bennett was also confused by the call in the first half to punish Mitchell when he appeared to be hit first by Knights center Dane Gagai. The Mitchell-Gagai duel was one of the greatest fights of the night. Newcastle coach Justin Holbrook believed “common sense prevailed” in the decision to deny Souths tries from Johnston and Sullivan, while Cameron Smith said during live commentary that the try did not deserve to be attempted. The Knights looked like a team fresh from last week’s meeting and looked more in sync offensively. Souths were not helped by Walker breaking down on the half hour and the playmaker immediately signaled to the touchline for help. He is unlikely to play next weekend if Souths progress, but Bennett confirmed the club are interested in him playing in 2027, although a deal has not yet been formally concluded. Apart from Walker and then Johnston, who was unable to complete the game with a groin complaint, Souths have had a good time with injuries this time of year. News, results and expert analysis from the weekend’s sports delivered every Monday. Subscribe to our sports newsletter. Save You have reached the maximum number of items saved. Remove items from the saved list to add new ones. From our partners Post navigation Manchester United ban 685 season-ticket holders over touting; Hall agrees long-term Newcastle deal: football news – live The US Treasury wants banks to do a better job of reporting cyber fraud, noting nearly $13 billion in losses since 2023