On a wider point, when did it become a thing for players to fling their arms in the air looking for a penalty at every ptb? Noticed it this season, but maybe they've always done it?

It has been going on quite a while and it is totaly infuriating. I wish the referee's would say "I'm reffing this game, not you" & give a penalty against for discent. Would ruin the game for a while until the perps learned but they would eventually.

Edit:
And the same for falling over / diving when they get a nudge off the ball or at PTB area, penalise for play acting and turning the game & players into footballers.

It happens in the NRL too.
And probably started in Football.

Leeds players do this quite a bit, especially at the ruck. If they penalised for this it would stop it.

As a sport RL needs to differentiate itself, and as hard as it sometimes is, respect for the officials is part of that.

Referees have their part to play be being good, but RL is not a game for play acting.

Agree. Players from all teams are at it. While ever there's a glimmer that the referee might actually give something, though, it'll continue. Agree with previous comments that a penalty against would bring it to a halt almost immediately.

it didn't when ganson penalised Rob burrow for it way back when.
then ignored it for the rest of the game...

Consistency during a game from the same ref is certainly an issue, never mind between different referees.

The head contact rule is so inconsistently reffed it drives me crazy.

I now genuinely don't know what constitutes a penalty, never mind yellow/red.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/wa ... mesmanship Worth giving this a go, surely? The game cannot continue as it is.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/wa ... mesmanship Worth giving this a go, surely? The game cannot continue as it is.

It's an obvious fix. Any potential head injury should result in a HIA assessment.

It already does.
What Burgess is proposing would encourage players to try and play through or conceal injuries due to concerns they would be taken off. That's very counterproductive.

Is there evidence from the NRL to suggest this is the case?