Driving me insane every game. It's like a cheating loophole.

Needs resolving and quickly. Don't watch NRL but how do they handle it? I imagine it's just play on unless it's blatant obstruction by the defender on the ground which in my opinion it should be.

I watch every NRL match and it used to be interpreted the same as it is today in SL. Now they handle it as you say. SL needs to catch up.

As long as it's consistenty a penelty, I've no problem. Then it's down to the players to adapt.

Players have learnt to step over the player on the floor and play the ball into them.

Needs addressing somehow

Also players aren’t getting to their feet before putting the ball down, they are leaving the ball on the ground.

An obvious starting point would be to penalise players who step over a prone tackler for moving off the mark.

Did you see, I think it was Ben Westwood kneeling on a defending Leuluai's neck in the ruck to gain a penalty at pob.
Tbf, a Wire Wigan game was always going to produce a lot of garbage at pob both in attack and defense, you're right its driving me up the wall and spoiling what should have been an entertaining game.
I switched it off way before halftime, and not for the first time this season.

Yep.

rlrl

If the rules above were enforced it would clear up the issue.

Yep. It's so simple I jsyt cant understand why it hasn't been introduced this season. The whole shambles of the play the ball is definitely affecting my enjoyment of the game.very frustrating to see your team penalised for something they couldn't help when a player steps over them and plays the ball into them before they have chance to even try and clear the ruck.

Leuluai did it last night . The RFL need to address the issue .Simply penalise the offender by means of a sin binning .

Mitch Garbutt is the only player in Super League who plays the ball correctly. Our rucks and PTBs are a mess

I think the refs should use more discretion
If the defender is attempting to clear the ruck area it's no penalty, if he is making no attempt then penalise him.
Similarly if the acting half back deliberately hits the defender with the ball it's no penalty.
In yesterday's HKR v Catalan game, Tompkins deliberately passed the ball so it hit a retreating HKR player, it wasn't accidental, it was so blatant it was almost a forward pass.

Minichello tackled a Wakefield player on Friday, and was trying to get up. Danny Brough was moving into dummy half and was nudging Minichiello with his knee and keeping him on the floor, and in the way and Brough gets the penalty.

2 cases of point.

1. Saints Dominic Peyroux is tackled with tackler underneath him during tackling motion but rolls off, Peyroux then deliberately climbs back on top of the tackler *as if he wants to dry hump him* & holds the tackler down while getting up & stepping over him to the play the ball guess where ? Got it straight at the tackler he pinned down for some brotherly love !!! Result, penalty to Saints, WTF ?

2. Melbourne v Brisbane, tackled player steps over prone tackler & plays the ball straight at him, result, play on !

The rules as written are fine just apply them all, if atackled player gets up quickly plays the ball correctly then penalise any player who deliberately gets involved if they try to get out of the way & are not involved play on. Interestingly the rules say place or drop the ball & play it backwards? Tey dropping it now & not give away a scrum for a knock on. Surely the RFLmust know that the play the ball is a mess that infuriates most spectators? I would love to go back to a time when trying to win a penalty was considered cheating & beyond contempt.