NRL say overburdened ground official responsible for two players returning early from sin bin

Sea Eagles players Apisai Koroisau and Matt Wright were back on the field more than 90 seconds before they should have.

As Manly were the away team, the timekeeping job was allocated to the NRL ground official rather than a team staff member.

The league says the official already had a long list of jobs, and didn't pause his stopwatch when a try was scored, leading to the players being instructed to return early.

The NRL says it's unfortunate and the move is regrettable, but they'll continue to review the incident.

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