League legend Paul Gallen has vented his frustration with the NRL after Roger Tuviasa-Sheck’s controversial sin bin on the weekend.
The Warriors centre was ordered off the field for 10 metres after it was judged he put Titans five-eighth Jayden Campbell in a dangerous position.
Tuivasa-Sheck’s departure immediately brought surprise on commentary before NRL head of football Graham Annesley came out and defended the Bunker’s call on Monday.
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Gallen described the decision and subsequent defence from the NRL as a “joke”.
“Slow that down, get a protractor out and see if he went above the horizontal, honestly what a joke,” he said on Nine’s 100% Footy.
“If he said those words ‘we want to stop lifting tackles’ then stop lifting tackles. Outlaw it now, tell everyone you can no longer lift. If they want to outlaw the lifting tackle, tell people they can’t lift.
“Don’t penalise a bloke in a game for a tackle that shouldn’t have been a penalty and then send him for 10 minutes and then three days later say it’s OK. Outlaw the lifting tackle now, if you don’t want people to lift blokes, tell them.
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“Tell the whole game, they won’t do it anymore … it was not dangerous. Go and tell the coaches, tell the players not to lift anymore and they probably won’t lift anymore, they’re not going to want to be penalised. They don’t do it on purpose.”
League icon Phil Gould added the adjudication of certain rules is a “problem” within the game.
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“Our rules are they try to be one size fits all, it’s got to be done on its merits,” he said.
“There was nothing wrong with that tackle whatsoever, nothing wrong at all with that tackle. And to come out and say differently afterwards is just ridiculous.”