V'landys confirms major bunker review following 2024 NRL season

Australian Rugby League Chairman Peter V’landys has confirmed an end-of-season review for the bunker following an error-riddled end to the home and away season.

The bunker and NRL officiating has been in the spotlight since the Cronulla v Newcastle clash in Round 24 where both sides controversially had field goals disallowed due to blockers.

The next week, the bunker failed to send Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton to the sin bin for a high shot on Warriors centre Roger Tuivasa-Sheck which left him concussed.

V’landys told SEN that there would be a full scale review of operations in the bunker to ensure greater consistency from the 2025 season.

“We always conduct a consultation with all stakeholders of the game after the Grand Final,” V’landys said on SEN's Sportsday.

“Rather than doing it with individuals, we will do it as a big group session where everybody is in the room.

“We already have a few ideas about the bunker and how we can improve it alongside the refereeing.

“We will certainly take it to the3 clubs, players and coaches as Wayne Bennett has been very vocal about it.

“No one has a monopoly on ideas so if we can get ideas and points of contest from other people, we will certainly look at them and implement them if they will improve the game.”

V’landys and the league will also address expansion at the end of the 2024 season with Perth and PNG franchises already earmarked as the 18th and 19th teams for a potential 2027 and 2028 arrival respectively.

V’landys said the game’s powerbrokers are looking at a conference system for the NRL once the competition goes to 20 teams.

“It would be derelict not to look at conferences,” V’landys added.

“Some of the coaches have come to be early in the piece about having two conferences and having 20 teams would give us that option.

“It could be a better system. We don’t know but we’ll look at it, analyse it and get feedback.”