A late season crackdown.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...l/news-story/8441019ece2d21f0ea1745e7e137ff5d
NRL referee boss Bernie Sutton warns coaches of penalties if players try to slow the play the ball
Referees boss Bernie Sutton fired off a warning to all NRL coaches on Wednesday telling them to stop trying to slowdown the play the ball or risk getting pinged.
Sutton cautioned coaches to halt their stalling tactics in an email obtained by The Daily Telegraph after it was sent to the 16 clubs.
Coaches have been warned that their players run the risk of being heavily penalised with the clampdown to be in full swing from Thursday night’s clash between Canterbury and Parramatta with the referees to be extra vigilant on the ruck this round.
“Following on from the completion of round 18, it is our observations that there has been an increase in slowing tactics around the play the ball area,” Sutton wrote to the club.
“We’d like to remind you of the responsibilities of the defending players and I have inserted below the relevant section of the 2018 laws and interpretations”.
The section Sutton inserted included the reinforcement of the banned techniques such as “flopping, leg pulls, spinning, crowding and climbing over a player.”
The rules also state that “at the completion of the tackle the player in possession shall be immediately released by the defender and/or defenders”.
Sutton attached one minute of clips from last weekend’s round which he declared were “some examples of slowing tactics we expect to be penalised (this round)”.
The clips showed five tackles which were not penalised including two by South Sydney players for getting off the tackled player too slowly. Other highlighted teams included the Dragons, North Queensland and the Titans.
Sutton also reinforced the need for players to play the ball correctly.
“Players are reminded to make a genuine attempt to play the ball with their foot and are required to have balance when doing so,” Sutton wrote. “We have reminded the match officials this week of the requirements by both the defenders and attackers around the play the ball area, and advised them to ensure that they continue to be officiate to the appropriate standards.”
The warnings come after the officials eased up on their penalty blitz which plagued the competition for the first half of the year.
They were told to ease off on the crackdown by NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg who told them to stop the ‘nitpicking penalties’ last month.
