REFEREES boss Robert Finch admits his whistle-blowers got their wires crossed and should have awarded an eight-point try to Parramatta on Friday night.
The two referees system has not taken the heat off officials, with Finch forced to defend incidents from both Friday night matches.
Finch said referees should have penalised Rabbitohs winger Nathan Merritt with an eight-point try when he slid feet-first in an attempt to deny Eels winger Joel Reddy.
And in Brisbane, Finch admitted the video referee should have been consulted before awarding a controversial try to Peter Wallace in the Broncos' 16-14 win over Melbourne.
Merritt's attempted tackle is sure to come under scrutiny by the NRL match review committee. The dangerous tactic was identified in last year's grand final, involving Melbourne's Billy Slater.
Merritt got away with just an on-field warning, but Finch said it should have been an eight-point try if not for a communication breakdown between officials.
Referee Shayne Hayne asked video ref Paul Simpkins to "check the sliding feet'', but Simpkins thought he was talking about whether Reddy's feet touched the sideline, not the defender, Merritt.
