A rule change to eliminate diving scourge (2016)

Diving has become so commonplace and almost accepted as part of modern rugby league, that no one seems to care so much about it anymore – which is almost as big a disgrace as the act itself.

This game was not built on rewarding acts of cowardice. Staying down to earn a penalty makes the game and the players look weak and soft, which we all know, is not the case. But actions speak louder than words. Any act of lying, especially one designed to gain an advantage, is always going to be seen, essentially, as an act of cheating.

While cheating is impossible to remove from any sport, it is possible to reduce this particular form of it. That can only be for the betterment of the game’s and the player’s image.

While most dives don’t directly result in a major advantage – like a try or match winning penalty goal (such as Issac Luke’s infamous golden-point dive a few seasons back) – far too many of them do change the momentum of a game significantly.

If a player takes a dive, the perpetrator should be automatically declared as concussed and made to sit out for the rest of the match and the following week, to ensure that they have recovered from their injury which debilitated them so.

This could be passed off by the NRL as a change designed to protect the welfare of all their players, while at the same time dramatically reducing the amount of diving that takes place in a game. It would also help games flow a little better and allow for actual skill to decide who wins a game, not acting capability.

With this gutless act wiped out, the NRL could then get down to the business of removing the biggest blight on the game, the horrible wrestling tactics.

While these are much harder to get rid of, more effort needs to be made to crack down on it.

Diving is nothing more than cheating, but wrestling holds and the like are downright dangerous and cowardly.

As if the NRL isn’t hard enough already, every club – not just Melbourne, the long-time poster child for the controversial methods – now employs wrestling coaches who teach players how to attack weak points so as to dominate more easily in defence. This isn’t skill. It’s ugly and pathetic.

 
Sadly, the longer it takes to try and remove these eyesores on rugby league, the more it will infiltrate all levels of the code and become acceptable practice for all players – including the 8-year-old kids, who will be turned off the game that is becoming increasingly unrecognisable from the one we all grew up with.

**This article appeared on the Commentary Box Sports Website**

The Halftime Spray #20 (2014)

Last weekend the Newcastle Knights staged a magnificent victory against the Melbourne Storm, scoring a try after the siren sounded to level the scores, before the boot of Kurt Gidley sealed the miraculous victory.

It prompted Craig Bellamy to go into a tirade against one of the two on-field referees, Ashley Klein, claiming Klein had some sort of vendetta against the Storm.

Bellamy said: "Ashley Klein obviously doesn't like the way we play our footy. We've had that many times when we've had him this year and the penalty count, it hasn't even been close. Every time we have Ashley we always seem to be on the wrong side of the penalty count and a fair way on the wrong side."

Craig, your abysmal sportsmanship aside, you are completely wrong, on several points.

If Klein doesn't like the way you play and has an issue with the Melbourne Storm, why is it that your team has won 14 of 24 games played under Klein's control?

Klein has officiated 6 of Melbourne's 20 games this year. They were:

Round 2 - Melbourne def Penrith 18-17. Melbourne won the penalty count 11-10

Round 4 - Canterbury def Melbourne 40-12. Penalties were drawn 7 all.

Round 8 - Warriors def Melbourne 16-10. Warriors won the penalty count 5-4

Round 12 - North Queensland def Melbourne 22-0. Cowboys won the penalty count 7-4

Round 16 - St George-Illawarra def Melbourne 24-12. Penalties were drawn 3 all.

Round 22 - Newcastle def Melbourne 32-30. Newcastle won the penalty count 11-3

Prior to last weekends game, Melbourne had won 1 penalty count, drawn 2 counts and lost 2 counts. They had received 29 penalties to their opponents 32, in games refereed by Klein this season.

Hardly 'a fair way on the wrong side.'

Melbourne has a long history of introducing ugly wrestling tactics to ball carriers to slow down the play the ball or disable opponents. So proficient were they that the NRL brought in laws against the crusher tackle and the chicken wing.

Melbourne's latest tactic has involved a defender lifting up one leg of an attacker as high as they can in an attempt to halt their momentum and turn them around.

Given how badly one of their lifting tackles went earlier the year on Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon, you would think the Storm would abandon this particular practice.

It's grubby, it's ugly, it makes the game look unattractive, it injures players and even laws have had to be made to restrict the usage of some of their tactics.

Klein has every right to not like their style of football.

And to learn that Klein has been punished and dropped to lower grades after Bellamy's outright lies is utterly disgraceful.

Bellamy's comments were no doubt a ploy to get referee's to officiate in a manner more favourable toward the Storm.

And that is as deplorable as Melbourne's wrestling tactics.

Mad Monday - The Shoulder Charge Debate (2012)

The shoulder charge debate.

It's been raging all year and will continue to do so.

So let's get straight to it. Should it be banned?

No.

But, if it really is that big an issue, then it should cop a big suspension when it goes wrong. If a shoulder charge ends up collecting a player in the head, then that player can expect to be charged with no less than a Grade 3 reckless tackle charge.

We don't want to remove the big collisions and big hits that embody this great game, but at the same time, we don't want to see players getting smashed in the face and stretchered off the field. It's called finding a balance.

However, I think that the issue of shoulder charges is a minor one in comparison to something that is a horrible blight on the game which fails to be addressed.

Wrestling.

Ask anyone what aspects they love about Rugby League as a player and/or as a spectator. I can guarantee you no-one will say wrestling.

This madness about slowing down the play the ball has got out of hand. Referees can only do so much. I think it’s time a full-time match review committee is appointed and they will go over every game played in the NRL every week and issue out fines/suspensions to all players involved in this grotty behaviour.

The disgraceful maneuvers such as chicken wings, crusher tackles, knees in calf muscles and all that other rubbish is as bad and cowardly as eye gouging and biting and should be dealt with similarly.

The game is not about trying to debilitate your opponent by attacking their joints, crushing their windpipe, chewing on their limbs or raking their eyes out.

Dealing with the shoulder charge is easy and to be honest, can wait. This wrestling rubbish is infecting the game. The ARL Commission and the referee’s first true focus should be eradicating this aspect of the modern game. Dishing out severe penalties to clubs and players should be brought in immediately to wipe this crap out once and for all.