Declining A Kick At Goal

[roofromoz]

Knights declined a kick at goal when 23 - 20 down and three minutes to go.

I've seen thousands of rugby league matches - Pre-NRL and NRL and never seen a kick declined in such circumstances.

Peter Wallace tried doing it a few years ago in a Panthers match against the Tigers... but he had to go through with it... I'll let the SMH match report from 25/5/07 explain it...

Wests Tigers have extended their winning streak to six games with a controversial 25-24 NRL victory over Penrith at CUA Stadium today.

The Tigers appeared to have the game won when leading 25-12 after 61 minutes, but a late Penrith surge ensured an amazing end to the game which left the 17,337 fans enraged.

Penrith winger Nick Youngquest scored with 40 seconds on the clock, but the Panthers appeared to decline the option to kick for goal and ran immediately to the other end for a restart.

But referee Jared Maxwell ordered Penrith back to the kicking spot, Peter Wallace converting for a 25-24 scoreline but wasting 20 seconds in the process.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqmatchreport/tigers-extend-winning-streak/2007/05/27/1180205061832.html

 

[Puntastic]

They are entirely allowed to decline a kick at goal.

Penrith were (incorrectly) denied the right to decline a few years back, probably because the referees were as shocked as OP was.

Edit: Aaand Roo has beaten me to it. Still shit me off to no end.

 

[aqua_duck]

Peter Wallace tried doing it a few years ago in a Panthers match against the Tigers... but he had to go through with it... I'll let the SMH match report from 25/5/07 explain it...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqmatchreport/tigers-extend-winning-streak/2007/05/27/1180205061832.html

Jared Maxwell was the ref, that explains it all

 

[ek999]

I thought it was the right decision TBH. Out of interest, can you attempt goal with a drop kick?

 

[hunters]

Jared Maxwell was the ref, that explains it all

I seem to recall that the ref was technically correct. Can't remember exactly why, maybe something to do with the captain having to formally reject taking the kick. Memories shot but there was definitely something, well according to the NRL at least!

 

[Mr Spock!]

Pretty sure it happened in SOO Game 2, 1986.

I remember Wal declining a kick at goal at the end after Shearer scored in the dying minutes.

NSW won 24-20 and the series that match.

 

[RedVee]

It isn't unique. But from memory there is a specific routine to the declining of a conversion.
We did it as a kid (about 40 years ago so the rules have probably changed ) and the Captain had to advise the Ref and we had to place the ball on the ground and toe it off the mark! for some reason we had to make the ball cross the goal line.
But it was 40 odd years ago and I've gad a bottle of red....

 

[Jason Maher]

Dragons did it against the Titans at Robina in 2009.

 

[Pedro Morales Magonzales]

It's extremely rare but I have seen it happen before.

Speaking of rare moments involving goal kicking.

In the Souths v Dragons Holden Cup match last round

The Dragons were taking a penalty shot for goal and the referee penalised them for not making a legitimate attempt. The goalkicker seemed to aim the ball towards his outside backs thinking that they could score a try instead.

Looked up the official rules and sure enough there is a section on it 'Pretending to kick at goal'

Has anyone else seen this rule enforced?

 

[Mr Spock!]

It's extremely rare but I have seen it happen before.

Speaking of rare moments involving goal kicking.

In the Souths v Dragons Holden Cup match last round

The Dragons were taking a penalty shot for goal and the referee penalised them for not making a legitimate attempt. The goalkicker seemed to aim the ball towards his outside backs thinking that they could score a try instead.

Looked up the official rules and sure enough there is a section on it 'Pretending to kick at goal'

Has anyone else seen this rule enforced?

No.

I remember some teams in the 80s pretending to kick at goal but kicking for their outside backs (Mick Cronin?) but they had told the ref.

One of Jack Gibson's improvisations.

 

[Marshall_magic]

I thought it was the right decision TBH. Out of interest, can you attempt goal with a drop kick?

In the game referenced above, Wallace originally tried to take it as a drop kick (presumably to save time waiting for a kicking tee) and was nixed by the ref. He then tried to decline and was told he couldn't. I think the official ruling on the decline was you had to tell the ref immediately, whereas Wallace had indicated he would take the shot before attempting to decline it.

 

[Twatface Magee]

I thought it was the right decision TBH. Out of interest, can you attempt goal with a drop kick?

Yes you can.
From memory in that same incident with Penrith being not allowed to decline the kick they then asked if they could drop kick instead and the answer was again no.
But I believe you actually are allowed to choose to drop kick it.

 

[Pedro Morales Magonzales]

I thought it was the right decision TBH. Out of interest, can you attempt goal with a drop kick?

Only when attempting a penalty goal.

From the official rules guide

Goal ? A goal is scored if the whole of the ball at any time during its flight passes on the full over the opponents? cross bar towards the dead ball line after being kicked by a player (and not touching or being touched in flight by any other player) in any of these
circumstances:?

(a) by a place kick after a try has been scored and
counts two points

(b) by a place kick or a drop kick when a penalty kick
has been awarded and counts two points.

 

[dragonsrule10]

Yes you can.
From memory in that same incident with Penrith being not allowed to decline the kick they then asked if they could drop kick instead and the answer was again no.
But I believe you actually are allowed to choose to drop kick it.

The rule book says this about goal kicking,
a) by a place kick after a try has been scored and counts two points
b) by a place kick or a drop kick when a penalty has been awarded and counts two points

Only penalty goals can be taken by drop kick.

edit: The above person beat me to.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

I remember Broncos doing it twice.

I think in 2007 against Parramatta, Broncos scored with about 2 or 3 minutes only trailed by 4 at the time of scoring and Lockyer declined the kick.

Same thing in 2009 against the Storm in a semi final. Only difference was the game was virtually over they scored right on full time but declined the kick as it seemed pointless to them.

 

[gregstar]

Dragons did it against the Titans at Robina in 2009.

yep.

& i'm pretty sure they made a break right on the gong to win it & either chewie prior or tard saffy dropped the ball with the tryline begging.

 

[cooko]

It's extremely rare but I have seen it happen before.

Speaking of rare moments involving goal kicking.

In the Souths v Dragons Holden Cup match last round

The Dragons were taking a penalty shot for goal and the referee penalised them for not making a legitimate attempt. The goalkicker seemed to aim the ball towards his outside backs thinking that they could score a try instead.

Looked up the official rules and sure enough there is a section on it 'Pretending to kick at goal'

Has anyone else seen this rule enforced?

There was a state of origin where Michael O'Connor tried this. Late 80s as it was at the sfs.

Nsw were given a penalty about 5m out from the qld line and he took the kick from the mark. He actually kicked it but I still remember it being a pretty cool idea.

 

[Ulysseus]

Same thing in 2009 against the Storm in a semi final. Only difference was the game was virtually over they scored right on full time but declined the kick as it seemed pointless to them.

I remember that.
A user here had a bet on and that affected the margin in relation to the wager.
The company taking the wager payed out though.

 

[[FKN-SIK]]

Gidley declined the kick but accepted to be tackled on the final play of the game :crazy::lol::crazy:

 

[ek999]

Only when attempting a penalty goal.

From the official rules guide

Goal ? A goal is scored if the whole of the ball at any time during its flight passes on the full over the opponents? cross bar towards the dead ball line after being kicked by a player (and not touching or being touched in flight by any other player) in any of these
circumstances:?

(a) by a place kick after a try has been scored and
counts two points

(b) by a place kick or a drop kick when a penalty kick
has been awarded and counts two points.

Cheers. Doesn't make too much sense though. One of the strange anomalies in the rule book