Newcastle coach Nathan Brown has called on the NRL to implement the captain's challenge system as a way to quell the refereeing crisis.
NRL referees boss Bernard Sutton conceded his men got two crucial calls wrong which potentially robbed Canberra during their 28-24 loss to Cronulla on Friday night.
With refereeing issues already simmering, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart claimed fans were turning off the game because of the standard of officiating.
Rugby league greats Andrew Johns and Peter Sterling on Sunday accused the governing body of over-coaching the referees and sapping them of confidence.
Brown said the bunker was being over used and supported it being stripped back in favour of a captain's challenge.
The NRL trialled the system in Newcastle's loss to St George Illawarra two years ago and Brown said it reduced the reliance on the video referee.
"There was no chance of (either side) playing playoffs so the importance of the game was minimal," Brown told the Nine Network's Sunday Footy Show.
"But the video ref never came into the game at all.
"Our captain was saying 'we didn't want to challenge it because we thought it was a try'.
"The game flowed, it never stopped at all. There was no controversy."
Under the captain's challenge, each side is allowed one incorrect challenge to a try decision each half.
Sides can continue to challenge decisions if they are proven correct on each occasion.
Brown said he was disappointed that the NRL never followed up with him to ask his thoughts on the merits of the captain's challenge.
Stuart called for the bunker to be scrapped after the video referees overturned an on-field decision to award Cronulla's Sione Katoa a crucial 57th minute four-pointer.
The Raiders players stopped after touch judge Rick MacFarlane raised his flag after what appeared to be a Sharks knock-on.
Sutton also conceded a forward pass call, which denied the Raiders a try late in the match, was also incorrect.
Immortal Johns said there were too many people trying to tell referees how to do their job.
"I'm blaming the direction they're given and who's coaching the referees," Johns said.
"It's the constant chatter in their ear, touch judges - all game they're talking to them."
Parramatta legend Sterling said the referees were over thinking their job as a result of too many voices in their ears.
"It's paralysis by analysis our game at the moment," he said.
"We will send something upstairs for a particular concern in the lead-up but then we will look at eight other things."
