'The ball appeared to be touched': NRL explains Bostock call

Maroons coach Billy Slater refused to blame a controversial try awarded to NSW centre Bradman Best for his side's loss in the Origin decider, despite officials admitting it was the wrong call.

Best picked up a loose ball from a kick near the Blues tryline and raced the length of the field to score after fending off Maroons fullback and Knights team-mate Kalyn Ponga, who had given chase.

Referee Ashley Klein awarded the 56th minute try but as Nathan Cleary was preparing to take the conversion attempt, Maroons players protested that Blues winger Jack Bostock had knocked the ball on in an aerial contest with Jojo Fifita. NSW led 18-8 at the time.

The Bunker reviewed the incident and cleared the try a further examination of footage after the match found that it was likely Bostock had got a touch to the ball and knocked it on.  

An NRL spokesperson said: “After reviewing all available angles, the Bunker did not believe there was sufficient evidence to overturn the on-field decision.

“Upon detailed review after the match, the NRL believes that while it was an extremely tight decision, the ball appeared to be touched”.

Asked about the incident in the post-match press conference, Slater didn't attempt to use it as an excuse for Queensland's 30-12 loss - their second defeat in a series decider at Suncorp Stadium in three years.  

“We didn’t get a clear look at it up in the box, so it’d be hard for me to comment,” Slater said.

“But things didn’t go our way. I still thought the team fought after that, so it is what it is.”

The Maroons completed just 70% of their sets after making 13 errors, and conceding three penalties and four six-agains.

“We had our chances and we made it pretty hard on ourselves at certain times, and that probably took a fair bit of juice out of us," Slater said. I think we made 14 errors, so that doesn’t help."

Maroons captain Camer Munster approached Klein at halftime to question some of the calls against his side but he was diplomatic after the game.

“At the end of the day, we just didn’t ice our moments like Billy spoke about, yeah a bit of frustration from myself in the heat of the moment,” Munster said.