Roosters coach Trent Robinson says the NRL must stop players laying down
April 26, 2015 12:35pm
David RiccioThe Daily Telegraph
ROOSTERS coach Trent Robinson has accused the NRL of refusing to have any interest in stamping out the ugly issue of players laying down to attract penalties.
Vocal in recent weeks with his disdain for players intentionally taking dives, Robinson continued his passionate campaign on Saturday night claiming St George-Illawarra?s Euan Aitken purposely lied down after a high shot from Roosters prop Dylan Napa, while adding that teammate Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was within his rights to verbal the rookie centre, as he lay prone on the Allianz Stadium pitch.
It?s not the first time Robinson has queried whether the game is heading down the path of soccer, where players taking dives is of epidemic proportions.
Napa was penalised and placed on report for a 60th minute swinging arm on Aitken, which led to Hargreaves taking umbrage with the Dragons right-centre.
The Roosters firebrand was then singled out by the match officials for yelling at Aitken to ?get up.??
The Dragons extended their lead to 12-6 as a result of the penalty.
Robinson said he watched the incident three times after the match and believes a penalty should never have been blown while claiming Hargreaves was unfairly targeted by the match officials, simply because Aitken lied down.
?The NRL has decided not to do anything about it,?? Robinson said.
?What happened after he (Aitken) got hit around the shoulders?
?Jared got talked too after that for going over and saying ?stand up?. Young kid (Aitken) in our game, playing great footy and he lies down on that play.
?You guys like watching that in our game, are you happy with that? Is that our sport???
When it was suggested by a journalist that Napa had hit Aitken high, Robinson said: ?Well, I think you need to have a look at it again.
?Initially I thought he hit him high, then we saw the replays, across the chest. And so Jared went over, as he should told him to get off the ground.
?And then who gets spoken too, Jared does.
?We?re accepting it in our sport and if that?s the way we?re going then you guys don?t say anything about it, let?s carry on.
?But if that?s the sport you watch and love then its different to the one I?ve been watching for years.
?It?s not an isolated incident. Players have come out and said they do it because it?s being allowed to happen.??
Aitken denied he had intentionally layed down saying: ?He (Napa) got me, I was rattled.??
