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The NRL's head of football has accused critics of a controversial bunker decision of bringing the game into disrepute in an impassioned defence of the league's match officials.

Criticism erupted following Canberra's defeat of Gold Coast on Saturday, in which Titans second-rower David Fifita was awarded a try after chasing Tanah Boyd's kick to the in-goal just before half-time.

On closer inspection, the bunker rescinded the four-pointer on the grounds Fifita had interfered with Raiders playmaker Jamal Fogarty, who had also been pursuing the ball.

The decision proved unpopular with broadcast commentators at the time, especially after the Titans lost by four points - fewer than a converted try.

Criticism of the bunker's call centred around the opinion Fogarty had stopped before reaching the ball to block Fifita's path.

Under NRL rules, players must not 'deliberately obstruct an opponent who is not in possession' as this constitutes an escort and is illegal.

At his weekly media briefing on Monday afternoon, NRL head of football Graham Annesley disputed Fogarty had escorted Fifita from the ball, and delivered a scathing appraisal of the bunker's critics.

"All the confected outrage about this is just so over the top," he said.

"I've read and heard things like 'diabolical', 'the Titans were dudded', 'unbelievable', 'the worst call of the year', that Jamal Fogarty deliberately stopped in front of Fifita, that Fifita just brushes past him.

"To be frank, it brings our game into disrepute, the people that do this.

"To say that he's not contesting, or that he's stopped, I just don't know what people were watching.

"(Fogarty) is still trying to get the ball, kick it dead before Fifita gets his hands on the ball."

Alternative footage of the incident showed Fifita had grabbed Fogarty's jersey as the pair jostled for the ball, which is illegal under NRL rules.

Annesley believed it had been Fogarty who was impeded, not Fifita.

"(Fifita) has actually got a handful of jersey and he's dragging him down," Annesley said.

"Even if there's a case to say that Fogarty is escorting or deliberately trying to block Fifita, that's not for David Fifita to decide, that's for the referee to decide.

"You can't just grab players and throw them out of the way without the ball."

Annesley intimated that public commentary around the bunker could have an adverse effect on attracting referees to the game.

"Why would anyone want to work in the bunker? Why would anyone want to be a referee, when they're subject to this sort of attack over something that is perfectly defendable?" he said.

"People can still make up their mind about which of these players is most at fault.

"But to suggest that this was such an outrageous, unbelievable, diabolical decision is just ridiculous."

© AAP 2023

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Corey Horsburgh will become the 230th player to line up for Queensland in State of Origin when he makes his Maroons debut in Sydney.

The 25-year-old Canberra warhorse joins Gold Coast fullback AJ Brimson as the only two changes made to the side that wrapped up the Origin series 2-0 with a 32-6 win in Brisbane in game two.

North Queensland's Tom Dearden is 18th man and Parramatta's J'maine Hopgood the 19th.

Both changes to the playing 17 for the July 12 clash were forced on coach Billy Slater.

Brisbane prop Tom Flegler misses out with a foot injury, while suspension has sidelined Broncos fullback Reece Walsh.

Horsburgh was 19th man in camp in game two and has earned his selection on the back of stellar form for the Raiders in the NRL.

"Corey Horsburgh makes you take notice of his performances. The habits I look for are habits Corey has created in his game," Slater said on Monday.

"He was excited to be in the squad for game two and you could see his enthusiasm throughout the 10-day preparation.

"You can tell players that have a great off-season, and Corey is one. He's built a great base to his fitness levels, regularly plays 70 minutes straight for the Raiders.

"Ricky Stuart and the coaching staff have done a great job developing Corey, and no one more than himself."

In 16 games this year, Horsburgh has averaged a career-high 117 metres and 37 tackles per game.

His 95.8 per cent tackle efficiency is a high-water mark in his career.

He has versatility on his side, being able to play on an edge or in the middle of the park.

Maroons legend Trevor Gillmeister told AAP Horsburgh was "built for Origin" and the Queensland selectors clearly agree.

Maroons centre Valentine Holmes said Horsburgh's "effort areas" were a strength.

"It's what he's doing off the ball that the selectors really like," Holmes told AAP.

"That's what Origin is about. It's not always about the pretty things but what you do away from the ball and being there when you're not needed just in case something happens. Horsburgh does that really well."

Brimson, 18th man in game two this year, debuted at fullback for Queensland in 2020 and but for injuries would have more than three Origin games to his credit.

The 24-year-old has electric speed and plays with the requisite toughness required in the Origin arena.

"He's had a bit of a chequered run with injuries, AJ," Slater said.

"He came back from a hamstring injury a few weeks ago and hit the ground running. I was really impressed with his performance."

The Maroons are aiming to become the first side since 2010 to secure a series clean sweep.

Queensland Maroons: 1. AJ Brimson 2. Xavier Coates 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Cameron Munster 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (capt) 8. Reuben Cotter 9. Harry Grant 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Patrick Carrigan 14. Ben Hunt 15. Lindsay Collins 16.Moeaki Fotuaika 17. Corey Horsburgh 18. Tom Dearden 19. J'maine Hopgood.

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Lending to buy homes has jumped in line with the recovery in Australian housing prices.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded a 4.8 per cent rise in May, to $24.9 billion, with the total value of new owner-occupier loan commitments increasing for owner-occupiers and investors.

The value of new investor loan commitments rose 6.2 per cent, to $8.5 billion, whereas new owner-occupier loan commitments rose four per cent, to $16.4 billion.

Oxford Economics Australia senior economist Maree Kilroy said national home loan commitments had recorded the strongest monthly lift since November 2021.

Loans for established dwellings rose 4.2 per cent over the month, which Ms Kilroy said was consistent with the rebound in housing prices.

National property values recorded another jump in June, lifting 1.1 per cent by CoreLogic's measurements and proving resilient to interest rate hikes.

But Ms Kilroy said there had been signs of softening in property prices over recent weeks, with the pace of price growth slowing in June and auction clearance rates taking a step back.

"We are wary of price growth holding through the new financial year."

The Corelogic data revealed a slight pullback in the rate of growth across several cities, including Perth.

Sydney continues to lead the rebound, posting 1.7 per cent growth in June, down a touch from the 1.8 per cent increase in May.

Brisbane was the only other city to record above one per cent growth, lifting a convincing 1.3 per cent in June.

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said the slowdown in the pace of capital gains could be a reflection of shifting sentiment as the Reserve Bank remained determined to beat down stubbornly high inflation.

"Higher interest rates and lower sentiment will likely weigh on the number of active home buyers, helping to rebalance the disconnect between demand and supply," he said.

Despite the slower pace of growth, Mr Lawless said the upswing was widespread, with every capital city aside from Hobart recording higher dwelling values in June.

Regional dwelling values also lifted but more slowly compared with the big cities, growing by 0.5 per cent collectively.

The ABS also released new building approvals data on Monday that showed national dwelling approvals lifting 20.6 per cent in May, with the recovery driven by large apartment developments that tend to swing the dataset around.

Dwellings excluding houses rose 59.4 per cent, whereas approvals for private sector houses were more subdued, lifting 0.9 per cent.

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A surge in new apartments will help inject much-needed supply into the housing market, but the construction industry warns home-building might continue to stagnate.

The number of dwellings that made it through planning regulations jumped by 20.6 per cent in May, defying expectations of a more restrained three per cent uptick.

But the monthly growth was driven by a 59.4 per cent boom in new apartment buildings, with detached homes - a more reliable indicator of home-building demand - lifting a weak 0.9 per cent.

Sluggish home-building has been hanging over the rental market, which is already experiencing a mismatch in supply and demand that has sent prices rocketing.

A shortage of homes entering the market will likely keep pressure on prices.

NAB market economist Taylor Nugent said it was difficult to read into the Australian Bureau of Statistics' volatile apartment data, but the numbers suggested detached house-building might have found a floor.

But he expected the figures to remain subdued as borrowing costs were higher, construction costs unpredictable and pandemic-era stimulus had pulled forward some demand.

Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn welcomed the stronger construction numbers but warned of tough times ahead.

"We will need to see a sustained recovery in higher-density home-building volumes before the affordability crisis in our rental market starts to abate," she said.

Ms Wawn said lending figures for new homes, released by the ABS in a separate dataset, signalled a further pullback in construction.

The number of loans for the segment eased 0.2 per cent in May.

The overall outlook for lending is more upbeat, with loan commitments for existing homes jumping in line with the recovery in Australian housing prices.

A 4.8 per cent rise was recorded in May, to $24.9 billion.

The value of new investor loan commitments rose 6.2 per cent, to $8.5 billion, whereas owner-occupier loan commitments rose four per cent, to $16.4 billion.

Oxford Economics Australia senior economist Maree Kilroy said national home loan commitments had recorded the strongest monthly lift since November 2021.

Loans for established dwellings rose 4.2 per cent over the month, which Ms Kilroy said was consistent with the rebound in housing prices.

National property values continued to shake off interest rate hikes and recorded another jump in June, lifting 1.1 per cent by CoreLogic's measurements.

But Ms Kilroy said there had been signs of softening in property prices over recent weeks, with the pace of price growth slowing in June and auction clearance rates taking a step back.

"We are wary of price growth holding through the new financial year,'' she said.

The CoreLogic data also revealed a slight pullback in the rate of growth across several cities, including Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

© AAP 2023