With no avenue for an appeal, Netball Australia (NA) has apologised after a review into the Sunshine Coast Lightning’s controversial Super Netball loss to the Giants.

Saturday night’s match between the Lightning and the Giants descended into farce, with the teams at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena unclear for 50 minutes about the final score.

The Lightning lost 86-80 in overtime after a score-bench bungle at the end of regulation time.

The Queensland team walked off the court in Sydney when the full-time siren sounded thinking they had won, with the scoreboard showing they were in front 71-70.

Players and coaches from both sides shook hands and disappointed home fans began filing out of the exits.

With Champion Data showing the score as 71-all, the Giants remained on court while the visitors were in their change room, before a 50-minute investigation revealed the match was actually tied, forcing overtime.

The Lightning warmed up again but were no match for the Giants during the additional two five-minute halves.

Netball Australia (NA) issued a statement on Sunday apologising for the lack of a formal process, which resulted in confusion for both teams.

“We apologise to our fans — both in stadium and at home — and to both teams for the errors that occurred,” new NA boss Stacey West said.

“These errors should not have occurred and caused significant confusion in venue and also for those watching at home.

“There were failures in our systems, processes and communication that have been addressed to ensure this does not happen again.”

The NA review revealed the score was correct at the venue and in the broadcast with 1 minute and 24 seconds remaining, when it was incorrectly adjusted by a bench official.