Play acting is undoubtedly an issue that’s crept in but there’s just no need for Hastings to try and help him to his feet. Play to the whistle and take the advantage of playing against 12 men for as long as the ref allows it (and I know the frustration really comes when the ref predictably blows up).

The wider issue of bending the rules to give you an advantage needs addressing but what can you expect when some teams seem to have lost the morality to even turn up for games or release players for representative fixtures. Imagine the flak Wigan would be getting now if we’d acted in the way a couple of teams who’ll be playing in London at the weekend have recently. It doesn’t bare thinking about.

What's the alternative? Have the refs, who have no medical qualifications, determine on the spot whether a head injury is legitimate or not? I agree that players are milking it, but there's bugger all the officials can be expected to do about it.

Id say immediate time off the pitch for a compulsory HIA on ALL suspected head contact would do the trick. if the player stays down they go off

The alternative is to not ban someone post match, especially when nothing was said on the day.

The medical staff are allowed to come on immediately and make the call. No need to stop the game for that to happen.
Stopping the game only encourages teams to go down (particularly at the start of defensive sets on transition).

I mentioned 2 weeks ago about 3 of the last 4 games having 7/8/9 stoppages, and 95% of those stoppages happen first 2 tackles of a defensive set.
Thats why I questioned you about a player having to leave the field if he goes down and game is stopped. That would discourage players going down unnecessarily. I thought we had brought it in over here for general paly but maybe its only NRL that do it?

Either way, I'm telling Lam from now on play it that way.
Kick deep, make first tackle and go down injured tapping your head. Let defensive line set and get some energy back. Job done
We'll kill the sport (and it will be wigans fault) but hey who cares.
Forget Powell having a shoulder injury and game.playing on, just tap your head and game will stop for o reason 40 years away from play.

On the game thread I mentioned at HT that it had happened 3/4 times first half, and then within 20mins of 2nd half starting another 4 or 5, its a joke.

Ended up arguing with The Hudds fan, who was having a go at Powell for time wasting when he actually had to go off !!!
The Nerve of their spectator

We improved the game a couple of years back with scrum clock and shot clock, weve got tondo something about this pretty soon because its making the game a joke.
Nearly 2hrs Sunday for an 80min game

how many times did Hudds go down in the defensive line? Id say all apart from the high kick when Marshall fouled him, they even stopped play when he was off the pitch, ive never seen that before ever and was ridiculous

Do you think there is a danger that players with head injuries would be more likely to try to play on with them if they knew that? Rather than taking a knee and letting a physio take a look to see whether it's serious. That also buys time for the medical team to review the footage of the relevant collision to see whether the player was knocked out, unsteady etc (many won't be aware that happens in all SL games).

I agree it's an issue and there is gamesmanship going on, but we have to make looking after head injuries the number 1 priority, regardless of what that means for the quality of the game.

Where does it end?
The trainers/physios are never off the field anyway, it took 8 seconds for a trainer to be at the side of Jones on Sunday and if game had carried on his treatment would have been affected how? If it was so serious that extra medical attention was needed then trainer could inform the officials and they stop the game, if play goes anywhere near the injured player officials can stop the game (like how it used to be).
What is to be gained from standing around for 2mins waiting for a player who in all seriousness took a bang on the nose and all he was doing was waiting for VR to review it to try and get a penalty and at the same time gain his defensive line 2 mins red to get set.
2hrs the game took Sunday
In 4 of the last 5 games (fair play to saints as they didn't get themselves involved in it but to be fair they didn't need to) there must have been 35 plus stoppages (about 25 plus for our opposition i would guesstimate) and only 3 i think opposition players went off with maybe 3 for us (2 Sunday from 2 stoppages).

2 years ago the fame improved 25% overnight with introduction of shot clock and scrum clock.
Suddenly the coaches and players have found a new way to cheat the game.

If a player goes down game carries on unless trainer calls for it (or any obvious case where an opposition player can see there's a problem and calls officials to stop game for example or the official can see it immediately)
Once player has been assessed if he goes off the fair enough as they lose a substitute which they wouldn't want to do
If he plays on then he leaves the field for the set or 1min whatever

As it is there is absolutely nothing/zero to stop players going down every tackle and its becoming a farce (anyone who and the displeasure of watching the Leeds catalan game about 3 years ago where catalans went down about 25 times in the game you have my sympathy).

Yes, occasionally a player will try and carry on, it still happens now, and the medical people will have to watch out for it, like they do now.

Were.over complicating it and the coaches/players are exploiting it

I've been trying to find it, but my Google-fu has let me down: Don't the NRL have some system whereby if you are injured, you have to leave the field for two minutes, or something? Which I understood as an attempt to address the issue Jukes is taking about.

Yeah, fully agree.

Just watched the incident again. Jones walks away from the tackle then goes down on his knee holding his nose. Never in a million years does it warrant a ban for that. Don't care what anyone says a ban for that is a disgrace.Ive watched the game 35 years and if that warrents a ban then I don't know where the game is going .something needs to change.RANT OVER!

.... or just don't move injured players, especially opposition ones.

Remember he's been banned for what happened after, i.e. pulling on the collar of Jones shirt - Not for the initial contact

I can just about get my head around the fact he shouldn't have done that - However It goes back to the original point that there is absolutely no Negative for any player going down even if they are Milking it etc. and going down to try & get VR to look at the instance (Obviously TV games have another layer of complexity which is a whole other story I've been banging on about for years) to gain a penalty.

And if there was a negative to going down, i.e. the game played on or the player had to leave the field for say 2mins or whatever then there would be less reason for teams to be coached/use that tactic to go down.

I've just pointed out that the Ban is for pulling at his shirt whilst he was kneeling

Rest of the points are absolutely valid and if not careful the game will end up like American football with a stop after every play.