A couple or so times Bradford had a goal line drop out Sammut did some fancy pants trick where he spun the ball to himself but it landed in the field of play and rotated back to himself and then dropped the ball out.

Question is when he did that has he not given away a penalty as the ball did not travel the required distance of his touch?

Also, can I have a £ for every time he threw grass in the air to see which way the non-existent wind was blowing. OCD if you ask me.

sammut was the sort of player we needed in the first half we played very well vast improvement in all areas just missing that player to make half a break he a off the cuff player

Well, sat just in front of Francis Cummings last night, interesting Sammut off loaded in his own 10 metre and Cummings immediately got on the radio, really annoyed and sent down the instruction "tell him not to do that again." So I guess what we fans see as off the cuff, coaches see as risky play. Interesting listening to the coaches view on the game though.

Bradford were taking so long over those drop outs that I swear Sammut grew that beard during the match. By the time he did his bouncy ball trick, the ref had stopped the clock, so he was doing it while time was off. However, on one occasion, the ref had waved play on again as he was in the process of bouncing. Should have been a knock on over the line, but since the 'punishment' for that is a drop out, it wouldn't really have changed anything.

The game has stopped and is then restarted by the drop out

I don't see it as time wasting issue, more a ploy to delay the kick out to allow the bulls players more time to get some air in their lungs. Perhaps someone needs to look at the rules and introduce a time limit of x number of seconds. Failure to kick out in the time limit resulting in a penalty to the opposition.

Cummins was talking to china bones (Sibbit) on the radio and believe me he had him working, I reckon he did more running on and off the pitch last night with Cummins instructions than he ever did as a player.
As Bill says it was interesting listening to a head coach from the next seat, and also more so that not one comment was about the opposition just his own team.

Sidlow was also sat there with the coaching staff and I couldn't believe his surprise/delight of Bradford scoring twice before half time, I had to hold back from saying how long were you here pal ?

I thought it was more to make us wait around. Just before both those drop outs, we were putting a lot of pressure on the Bradford line (in spite of what a lot of our posters say, we were - we were, briefly, causing them problems!) and the delay took the wind out of our sails. Crafty beggar, Sammut.

He's not taken the drop out when he's spun the ball back to himself. He's doing that with his hands, collecting it back again and then kicking it.

Annoying, pointless and a good time-wasting tactic, yes, but it's not illegal.

Offences incurring penalties [at a restart]Kicker A player who kicks off or drops-out shall be penalised if heOther players Any other player shall be penalised if he: 8.7(a) willfully touches the ball from a kick off or dropout before it has travelled ten metres forward in the field of play. 8.7(b) runs in front of one of his own team who is kicking off or dropping out. 8.7(c) approaches nearer than ten metres to the line from which the kick is being taken when an opponent is kicking off or dropping out. www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/rules/o ... d_drop_out

Offences incurring penalties [at a restart]Kicker A player who kicks off or drops-out shall be penalised if heOther players Any other player shall be penalised if he: 8.7(a) willfully touches the ball from a kick off or dropout before it has travelled ten metres forward in the field of play. 8.7(b) runs in front of one of his own team who is kicking off or dropping out. 8.7(c) approaches nearer than ten metres to the line from which the kick is being taken when an opponent is kicking off or dropping out. www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/rules/o ... d_drop_out

A case could be made for 8.6(a) and 8.6(d). But they are never given. A referee would need to be at the pedant level of Karl Kirkpatrick to do so.

I think that's why the likes of Briers and Brough haven't featured for the national side as much.

(a) I could go along with, but that's only because he was dropping the ball over the touchline before actually kicking it, nothing to do with the initial spin back. (d) I think you'd be pushing it greatly to argue on.

He didn't commit any offence though, because the referee called time off long before he bounced the ball. On one occasion, the referee did appear to signal time back on as he was in the process of bouncing, but it would have been Karl Kirkpatrick Max Strength to have penalised him.