- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
South Sydney’s late season surge continued on Friday night, with a not-so-subtle ‘dive’ from Isaac Luke drawing a golden-point penalty that sealed the Rabbitohs’ dramatic 26-24 win.
The incident came after the Redfern club had stormed home in the final 10 minutes of the game to erase a 12-point deficit and force golden-point extra time.
Luke had been on the receiving end of a tackle from Cowboys rake James Segeyaro, which despite being around Luke’s head, had initially been deemed fair by the on-field referees.
When Luke failed to get to his feet, video referee Sean Hampstead intervened and Souths were awarded a gift-wrapped penalty directly in front, and halfback Chris Sandow slotted the ensuing penalty to wrap up the victory.
Rugby League is a sport that prides itself on tough, uncompromising play. Luke has unsurprisingly drawn criticism from many, not least a fuming North Queensland coach Neil Henry.
Luke’s feeble attempt to check for a broken jaw could not be further removed from South Sydney legend John Sattler’s heroic act 41 years earlier, when he led the club to victory in the 1970 grand final as he soldiered on with a broken jaw.
One could only imagine what Sattler would have made of the dive, which was reminiscent of the shameless play acting witnessed in South American football on a weekly basis.
Luke’s act will go unpunished, and the Bunnies continue their surge toward the action in September, but at what price?
Are we seeing the beginning of an evolution in the NRL in which simulation will need to be policed by the authorities?
The NRL would do well to show an uncharacteristic bit of leadership and nip this in the bud.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.