Fix it now. That’s the message from Penrith coach Ivan Cleary after yet another controversial obstruction ruling, which he claims is encouraging NRL players to dive in the vain of their soccer counterparts.
“We’ve got to fix it up,” Cleary said following his side’s 28-10 loss to Gold Coast on Sunday.
“One thing about our game that separates us from soccer, if you like, is no one dives.
“But that rule at the moment is encouraging people to (dive).
“I’m not casting aspersions on anyone, but the rule at the moment, if you’re a defender and you’re not looking to run into someone then you’re probably not doing your job.”
The focus of Cleary’s ire was the fourth-minute no-try to Tom Humble, in which Sika Manu impeded Titans co-captain Greg Bird.
It comes just days after Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah claimed defenders were using the new interpretation – which states an attacking player without the ball cannot run into a defender – as a cop-out.
“It’s very hard to put on a play at the moment,” Cleary said.
“Those plays have been in the game for a long, long time but at the moment it’s almost impossible to put on a second man play.”
Ironically Cleary is on the Competition Committee which ushered in the new interpretation ahead of the start of the season.
That was after the 2012 campaign was marred by a series of controversial calls when video referees were allowed discretion to judge on whether defenders were actually denied the chance to get to a tackled player or had simply made a bad read in defence.
The committee is expected to meet again after round six – ahead of the representative weekend – to review the rule, with little doubt left as to Cleary’s stance.
“Is that how we want the game to go?” he said.
“There’s so many good things that are happening as far as the referees go but that one thing to me needs addressing.
“You can’t have a black and white decision. There’s no such thing.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one, everybody knows it.
“Black and white decisions are being made on something that’s not black and white. It’s simple.”
Speaking on ABC Radio, referees boss Daniel Anderson denied the rule could ever be black or white.
“It’s not black and white, it’s less grey,” Anderson said.
“It’s impossible to get it black and white.
“We are enforcing it to the letter of the law.
“Right now we don’t have the capacity to have discretion on it.
“We have discretion on the footy field, but there isn’t a huge amount of discretion in the video referee box.”
mjpt
Guest
Anderson deserves everything he gets for this. In or ourtof the game, he has always looked for the cheap headline, and thats what destroyed his coaching career. He thought he was bigger than the players and nobody would play for him in the end. Worse still, he did that over 3 continents and still never learned the lesson to shut up and be in the background. Now he comes in and manages to create a problem when none was there. How typical. Get him out of the game. Wherever he goes , disaster follows. Simple.He has been sitting on the sideline commentating too long and believing his own hype, thinking he is is the panacea to all ills in the game. He gets paid to fix the game-and he made it worse. As a former NRL player I can tell you that decoy runners are there to DECEIVE the defender. If the defender is close enough to touch the decoy-it follows that he is not close enough to effect a tackle on the penetrator. Job done and the second man penetrates. The defender blew it. Misdirection, decoy plays, unders and overs are part and parcel of the game. Anderson has clipped the ticket, made things worse and made the game hard to watch as his deductiion has no basis in reality of the modern game.
Anakin
Guest
> “We have discretion on the footy field, but there isn’t a huge amount of discretion in the video referee box.” What the?!?!!!? ... so the man who has split seconds to decide is asked to use discretion, but the man who can watch in slow mo and take his time cannot apply common sense? Oikee has nailed it, the Asylum is being run by the lunatics!
oikee
Guest
On top of that, such a radical change should have been trailed in the under 20's or the Queensland or New South Wales cup. Why was this not done. Nobody will dislike Anderson as long as he can accept he made a dogs breakfast out of a simple ruling on players running behind team mates, that was all he had to fix. Not this complete change that has turned legitimate tries into no tries. Everyone can see the mistake except Daniel.
oikee
Guest
The way this rule is now interpreted, i would have my players diving and or running into the decoy players. Anderson has opened up the biggest can of worms ever seen, and he had better close it quick smart. Origin is in a few weeks. If he allows this to happen in front of 10 to 20 million people worldwide, he should fall on the sword and be banished to Siberia. Because i for one will never forgive such a awful rule change. I will walk away. I have had my say, i cant do any more. John Grant or someone has to step up to the plate. Before it is too late. Everyone can see it is no good, except the guy who changed it. Madness, the Asylum is being run by the lunatics.