Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater has hit out at the NRL after head office confirmed they would crackdown on teams giving away penalties in an attempt to use a captain’s challenge from a previous play.
The Gold Coast Titans on two occasions gave away ruck penalties in their 26-20 loss to Parramatta but then immediately called for a captain’s challenge and both occasions were successful.
“I think this is ridiculous,” Slater began on 2GB.
“The NRL has created this, they created this problem. Any rule change that you make, there’s going to be a flow-on effect with the players and coaches – that’s their job.
“They’re professionals, they’re full-time at trying to get the advantage in the game. If they feel that within the rules that they can do that, well they’re going to do that. They’re well within their rights to do that.
“To put someone in the bin for a deliberate penalty, you may as well put someone in the bin every time you blow the whistle because every penalty is deliberate. You tell me a penalty that’s not deliberate? When you get down on the tryline and you’re defending your tryline, they hold them down longer deliberately to slow the play-the-ball.
“That’s just a part of the game. Every penalty has to be a sin bin if that’s the way you want to adjudicate.”