'Rot in jail': Phil Gould explodes in furious on-air rant

Phil Gould is no fan of the obstruction rule, that much is clear.

The veteran rugby league commentator and former coach shared his distaste for the rule and the Bunker's inconsistent interpretations of it during an explosive rant at half-time of the Dragons' victory against the Sharks on Sunday.

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Two contentious Bunker decisions prompted a heated argument between Gould and NRL great Paul Gallen.

The first incident saw Matt Dufty denied a try after Zac Lomax ran a decoy and hit Chad Townsend, prompting Josh Dugan to stumble in the Cronulla defensive line.

Sharks playmaker Shaun Johnson was denied in the second incident after the lead runner collided with the Dragons’ Ben Hunt on the inside shoulder.

Gould did not agree with either decision and blasted the Bunker for following calls from the media to make the rules clear.

While Gallen agreed with Gould that one of the tries should have been awarded, the Sharks legend said the Bunker rightfully followed the rules by disallowing the other.

It prompted Gould to insist that the modern rules and interpretations were stupid and needed an overhaul.

He said the problem stemmed from the fact referees were afraid to make on-field decisions on tries - instead relying on the television officials to adjudicate on incidents.

The veteran caller was still seething about the issue on Monday night's edition of 100% Footy on Channel 9, insisting whoever came up with the modern rule interpretation needs to “rot in jail”.

“What they’ve done is create a drama out of the system that they’ve got,” Gould said.

“Those incidents happen 50 times a game. Don’t be going back every time a try is scored and go check that. If you don’t send it to the Bunker, we haven’t got a problem."

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When Gallen again challenged the argument by stating that he needs to check the rule book, Gould exploded.

“The rules are wrong. Whoever came up with that should be locked away and never seen again. They should rot in jail," Gould fumed.

“What person ever came up with a rule that I must run at his inside shoulder? How stupid.

“Nowhere in history has there been a rule where I can run when I run the ball. And if I don’t get the ball it’s up to you to decide what to do about it. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

“That was done to save the referees from embarrassment or because they didn’t understand the rules. They wanted a black and white interpretation that could be ruled the same way every time.

"The problem is, we’ll see that happen 50 times in a game and because no try is scored, nothing is ever done about it.”