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The NRL insists the Wests Tigers' loss to North Queensland will stand despite admitting the bunker got a crucial final-second call wrong in the 27-26 defeat.

In a dramatic fallout to Sunday's result, the NRL's head of football Graham Annesley conceded there was not enough evidence for an escort penalty to be awarded.

His admission came as the Tigers considered legal action over the result, angry not so much about the escort call but questions over the process that allowed the challenge to happen.

Down 26-25 with one second to play, the Cowboys claimed Kyle Feldt was escorted off a short kick-off and obstructed from reclaiming the ball.

A penalty was blown but Cowboys captain Chad Townsend asked referee Chris Butler for the play to be reviewed to successfully find the escort and allow a match-winning penalty goal.

Annesley said a penalty should not have been given.

"We've examined that from all available footage, and we're just not satisfied there was enough in that incident to warrant the decision of the bunker," Annesley said at his weekly briefing.

"Yes there was contact, yes there was a collision.

"But we believe the Wests Tigers player was heading towards the ball, he didn't look over his shoulder to see who was behind him."

The Tigers' main issues however extend beyond the bunker decision.

They are concerned that the bunker influenced Butler, speaking to him after he blew the whistle to stop play.

However the NRL was adamant on Monday that was not the case, and that officials were only informing him how many challenges the Cowboys had left.

The Tigers are also investigating whether the challenge should have been allowed, given no on-field call of escort had been made.

NRL rules state that challenges can only be made in the event of a call that leads to a structured restart, which was not the case when Butler stopped play after 80 minutes.

"You won't find anything in black and white in regards to what happened yesterday," Annesley said.

"There is nothing in the rule book that relates specifically to what happened yesterday."

But Annesley insisted that the challenge was permissible given there was a stoppage, with the Cowboys effectively challenging the end of play.

"The captain can challenge anything from the stoppage back to the previous play-the-ball," Annesley said.

"We can argue about the semantics or if the rule is clear enough, but let's go back to the intention of the captain's challenge.

"If it had been a more blatant foul, would we be happy for it (to be missed)?"

Regardless, his response has raised eyebrows among Tigers officials.

"When he says you won't find these things in black and white, it would be helpful if they were," Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis told AAP.

"The other concern is the decision of the referee and why it was being challenged. They still have not articulated what the decision was.

"Was it inaction? Is that decision? Is it the inaction for an incident that didn't occur (in the wrongly-awarded escort)?"

"We would like to know that and have it explained to us."

Hagipantelis said a decision on whether an appeal would be launched would be made "expeditiously".

The issue has also been noted at several other clubs fighting for top-two and top-four spots, with just two wins separating the Cowboys in second from seventh.

Annesley said he could not delve into any potential legal action from the Tigers, but said the result would not be changed.

"I'm not going to make any comment on what the Tigers may do, it's not up to me. But the referee is the sole judge of fact," Annesley said.

"From the time he blows the fulltime whistle. He makes those decisions."

© AAP 2022

The NRL has admitted the bunker got it wrong by awarding North Queensland a controversial late penalty in their 27-26 win over Wests Tigers on Sunday.

After the Tigers issued an official "please explain" and said they might appeal the result, the NRL stood by the Cowboys' right to lodge a captain's challenge over the incident, but admitted error in the eventual call.

Down 26-25 with one second to play, the Cowboys claimed Kyle Feldt was escorted off a short kick off and obstructed from reclaiming the ball.

No penalty was blown on-field but Cowboys captain Chad Townsend made his case to referee Chris Butler before the challenge was allowed.

Bunker official Ashley Klein then ruled that Tigers outside back AJ Kepaoa impeded Feldt, but on Monday the NRL's head of football Graham Annesley admitted that ruling was wrong.

"We've examined that carefully this morning from all available footage, and we're just not satisfied there was enough in that incident to warrant the decision of the bunker," Annesley said.

"Yes there was contact, yes there was a collision.

"But we believe the Wests Tigers player was heading towards the ball, he didn't look over his shoulder to see who was behind him."

But Annesley was adamant the Cowboys were within their rights to challenge, despite no call being made by the referee on the field.

"You won't find anything in black and white in regards to what happened yesterday," Annesley said.

"In our view it was allowable in those circumstances.

"The rules around a captain's challenge talk about you can challenge any decision for the referee to stop the game."

The feedback will do little to please the Tigers, who are still weighing up whether to launch legal action to try to overturn the result.

"We believe the officials got it wrong, plain and simple," CEO Justin Pascoe said in a statement.

"That decision has cost us victory and we want answers.

"I'm not here to bash officials, I know they are doing their best, but the bunker is there to avoid 'howlers'.

"We would like an explanation from the NRL, and our members and fans deserve that."

The Tigers also received support from other coaches on Monday, including arch-rival Ivan Cleary who claimed the incident was cringeworthy.

The Panthers coach also said he had believed teams could not challenge the full-time whistle.

"But just because I didn't know about it, doesn't mean everyone else didn't know," he told reporters.

"It's just a really bad call, that's how I would look at it. I was just cringing watching it.

"I feel like the captain's challenge is getting more muddled by the minute."

© AAP 2022

ADF support for Australia's aged care sector has been boosted and extended until at least the end of September, with COVID-19 outbreaks infecting 6000 residents and 3250 staff across the country.

"It's important that we need to be doing everything we can to meet the challenge," Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC News on Monday.

"It's not just extending the military support to aged care, it's actually increasing it up to 250 personnel through until the end of September."

Mr Marles said it was important to note the solution to the crisis was not a long-term one and that it was fair to describe it as "an extreme measure".

"Given the number of outbreaks that we've got right now, this is the right thing to do and I've got no doubt that those personnel will equip themselves professionally and fantastically in the way they do their work," he said.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said there are 983 outbreaks in residential facilities nationwide, with 24 Defence personnel currently assisting a "surge workforce" formulated to cope with the winter infection wave.

However the problem has been finding enough staff.

"We simply cannot find the staff," Ms Wells told ABC radio.

"People are doing double shifts, people are working every single day without breaks. It's an incredibly stressful environment."

Aged and Community Care Providers Association interim chief executive Paul Sadler says up to 15 per cent of staff are isolating or quarantining at home, with the coming weeks set to put intense pressure on residents and workers.

"The reality is we can't leave older people without adequate levels of care for too long," he said at the weekend.

Mr Sadler said 2301 residents had died in 2022, including 114 in the past week.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, meanwhile, conceded it is understandable some Australians are confused about the latest advice for wearing face masks as the virus wave continues to sweep the nation.

While there is no fresh mask mandate, most states and territories are advocating their use indoors or when social distancing is not possible.

Australia's death toll has surpassed 11,000, rising by 36 on Sunday.

LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:

* Victoria: 10,261 cases, no deaths, 855 in hospital with 35 in ICU

* NSW: 10,769 cases, seven deaths, 2329 in hospital with 58 in ICU

* Queensland: 6109 cases, no deaths, 1024 in hospital with 28 in ICU

* Tasmania: 1025 cases, two deaths, 183 in hospital with two in ICU

* WA: 3856 cases, four deaths, 432 in hospital with 24 in ICU

* SA: 3363 cases, 19 deaths (between February 3 and July 23), 384 in hospital with 11 in ICU.

© AAP 2022