Sydney Titans Fanatic
25-02-11, 09:54 PM
Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens claims the NRL is headed down the path of rugby union with its unsustainable crackdown on play the ball infringements.
Last weekend's Tigers-Parramatta trial was marred by a spate of penalties for illegalities at the ruck, with Sheens claiming whistleblowers had to allow the players a chance to play.
"... there's a flow in the game and an understanding, there's an advantage rule played in this game and you've got to play to the feel of the game as well as play to the rules of the game, otherwise we're playing rugby," Sheens said ahead of Saturday night's Foundation Cup clash against Sydney Roosters.
"And if you want to see 40 penalties a game go and play rugby."
The result has been several costly penalties with teams coughing up possession in poor field position and Sheens is adamant the players in the middle were making things too hard for themselves.
"I believe it's going to be too hard an area to police to the degree that I think they're going to try and police it, put it that way," Sheens said.
"There's going to be plenty of phone calls (from coaches to referees boss Bill Harrigan) in the early part of the season."
With this weekend representing the last batch of trial matches before the opening round of the season, Sheens was hopeful that the situation would be sorted out before too long.
"These things will work themselves out,' he said.
"I suppose if there's five weeks of protest from the media and the coaches things will settle down, that's generally how these things happen.
"Every year we start with some sort of a blitz, last year it was the downtown rule, I think the year before it was the decoy runner ... and we argued and argued for the first five weeks and then it settled down and by the end of the year it was a lot different to what it started."
Sheens will welcome Tim Moltzen back to the fold on Saturday night with the talented utility to start off the bench after missing much of 2010 due to a knee reconstruction.
Moltzen is expected to see time at both fullback and halfback, while former Canterbury-Bankstown winger Matt Utai can lock up a round one start with a good display with Beau Ryan's availability uncertain.
"(Utai's) looking good and hopefully he can give us that bit of impact out on the wing," Tigers skipper Robbie Farah said.
"We've got a couple of solid wingers now in Utai and Lote (Tuqiri) so it'll be like having a couple of extra forwards on the field."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/wests-tigers-coach-tim-sheens-blasts-officials-for-stringent-policing-of-the-ruck-in-nrl-trials/story-fn2mcuj6-1226012183828
Last weekend's Tigers-Parramatta trial was marred by a spate of penalties for illegalities at the ruck, with Sheens claiming whistleblowers had to allow the players a chance to play.
"... there's a flow in the game and an understanding, there's an advantage rule played in this game and you've got to play to the feel of the game as well as play to the rules of the game, otherwise we're playing rugby," Sheens said ahead of Saturday night's Foundation Cup clash against Sydney Roosters.
"And if you want to see 40 penalties a game go and play rugby."
The result has been several costly penalties with teams coughing up possession in poor field position and Sheens is adamant the players in the middle were making things too hard for themselves.
"I believe it's going to be too hard an area to police to the degree that I think they're going to try and police it, put it that way," Sheens said.
"There's going to be plenty of phone calls (from coaches to referees boss Bill Harrigan) in the early part of the season."
With this weekend representing the last batch of trial matches before the opening round of the season, Sheens was hopeful that the situation would be sorted out before too long.
"These things will work themselves out,' he said.
"I suppose if there's five weeks of protest from the media and the coaches things will settle down, that's generally how these things happen.
"Every year we start with some sort of a blitz, last year it was the downtown rule, I think the year before it was the decoy runner ... and we argued and argued for the first five weeks and then it settled down and by the end of the year it was a lot different to what it started."
Sheens will welcome Tim Moltzen back to the fold on Saturday night with the talented utility to start off the bench after missing much of 2010 due to a knee reconstruction.
Moltzen is expected to see time at both fullback and halfback, while former Canterbury-Bankstown winger Matt Utai can lock up a round one start with a good display with Beau Ryan's availability uncertain.
"(Utai's) looking good and hopefully he can give us that bit of impact out on the wing," Tigers skipper Robbie Farah said.
"We've got a couple of solid wingers now in Utai and Lote (Tuqiri) so it'll be like having a couple of extra forwards on the field."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/wests-tigers-coach-tim-sheens-blasts-officials-for-stringent-policing-of-the-ruck-in-nrl-trials/story-fn2mcuj6-1226012183828