Payten ‘gobsmacked’ by hip-drop call as Holmes faces nervous Origin wait

“It wasn’t a hip-drop for a start, I’m gobsmacked by the interference from the bunker in that situation,” he said.

“I don’t know what a rugby league player is supposed to do when [a player] is going for a try, and he lunges at his legs. He’s going to land on his legs. But it’s not a hip-drop.

“Our game has tried to stamp out the hip-drop when there are two guys standing in a tackle, and they lose their legs and land on their legs.

“A textbook [hip-drop tackle] was David Klemmer’s in the second half, and nothing happened. The inconsistency annoys the crap out of me, the players, our members and fans of the game.

“Every time it goes to the bunker, I get really nervous. I’m sure the players feel the same.”

The Cowboys triumphed 42-28, with Holmes bagging two tries and a personal haul of 22 points. The Tigers debuted Alex Lobb, who was listed as 18th man but brought into the game once Papali’i was ruled out through a reportable tackle.

Tigers coach Benji Marshall would have been disappointed his side was denied a captain’s challenge during a fightback early in the second half with the score at 20-16.

Josh Feledy claimed he spilled the ball as a result of a shoulder charge from Murray Taulagi. The bunker deemed it a fair tackle, and Taulagi’s arm was “not tucked into his body”.

Rather than get the penalty and go on the attack, the Tigers conceded a couple of tries to all but end their night. It did not cost the Tigers the game, but every call counts whe a team is struggling for confidence.

Regardless of other results this weekend, the Tigers will not end the round on the bottom of the NRL ladder – but this was their eighth straight loss.

And Papali’i could be out for an extended period, along with Klemmer who was placed on report for a hip-drop tackle on Kulikefu Finefeuiaki. Klemmer’s effort looked on par, if not worse, than Holmes’ tackle.

There were some bright spots for the Tigers, including Lachie Galvin and Samuela Fainu combining nicely for a couple of passages of play down the left, including one that led to a try.

Api Koroisau played himself into the ground with a performance that should be enough to seal a NSW Origin jersey, despite featuring in a struggling club side.

The Tigers get their second bye next week, but need to get back into the winner’s circle to boost the spirits of so many rookies.

The Cowboys scraped past South Sydney, and were far from the finished product against the Tigers. They will be sold their campaign is back on track if they can make it three on the bounce against the Origin-depleted Roosters next weekend.