LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Phil Gould has ignited fresh controversy following his comments during the women's State of Origin Game 3, where he suggested that grounding the ball shouldn't be necessary to score a try.
This remark came as NSW captain Isabelle Kelly seemingly scored an easy try in the first half but was correctly denied by the Bunker, which identified that she did not ground the ball, as her arm blocked the ball from hitting the turf.
Although it was a notable error from Kelly, it didn't impact the game since NSW went on to score shortly after through Jess Sergis.
However, Gould's commentary drew significant backlash.
He posited that, "I hate this interpretation, I really do," arguing that Kelly's effort would have counted at any other level of the game.
He further added, "In every grade of rugby league, everywhere in the world, at any time, that is a try, unless you are on TV," expressing frustration with the current ruling.
Gould insisted that if the ball is in contact with a player's arm, "that's good enough." Despite his long-standing position in rugby league commentary, many fans took to social media to criticize his disregard for a fundamental rule, questioning how a prominent figure could misinterpret it.
The backlash included calls for him to resign from his position at Channel 9, igniting discussions about a potential conflict of interest given his role as general manager of the Canterbury Bulldogs.