Immortal halfback Andrew Johns has delivered a blunt message to NRL head of football Graham Annesley over the rejig to the field goal rules which make it hard for teams to kick one without incurring a penalty.
Johns’ Knights and Cronulla were denied match-winning field goals on Sunday because referee Gerard Sutton ruled there were “blockers” in the road of defenders trying to charged down the kicks.
The change to the interpretations has drawn a stern rebuke from Johns, who was a master at booting field goals during his illustrious career.
Writing in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald, he explained how a field goal kicker usually waits for the right time during an attacking set to pull the trigger with forwards in front of them.
“On play one, my position would be 15 to 20 metres behind the ruck and the entire time I would have the middle forwards in front of me. I’m directing them where to run, what defenders to target and the ideal position for the field goal attempt,” he explained.
“If the fast play-the-ball came on either tackle two, three or four, I would take the shot. Those middle forwards have to be in a position to take a carry if it’s not a quick play-the-ball, because not every ruck is going to produce the ideal opportunity. They need to be close to the dummy half to make the metres over the advantage line.
“It’s almost impossible for them not to be in front of the field goal kicker. How many long kicks in general play do you see similar situations? You will only ever see the kicker in front of his teammates if it’s a rapid play-the-ball. Are we going to start penalising more of those general play kicks for blocking?”
Johns described Annesley’s argument as good in theory “but it’s just not practical”.
“What happened between the Sharks and Knights with consecutive penalties was wrong. From where I was watching, no Cronulla player was impeded or had to drastically change their line.”
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During the pre-season, the NRL sent clubs a memorandum that reiterated this rule, which states that an attacking player may be penalised if “in relation to a field goal, (the player) takes up a position near the play the ball and, in the opinion of the referee, obstructs a defender(s) regardless of whether there is physical contact.”
Annesley revealed aside from the memorandum circulated to clubs, the NRL had met with coaches in the pre-season to discuss the rule and trained the referees to police illegal field goals accurately.
“We’ve eliminated most of them because we were open and transparent about it,” Annesley said.
“To the credit of most clubs, they have fixed it. We’ve seen field goals attempted throughout the course of the season where there are no blockers.
“I’ve said on multiple occasions throughout the course of the year: If you do not want to take the risk of having field goals disallowed, don’t put these players (blockers) in this position. You’re inviting the referee to take the action.
“Obstruction. Blockers. Case closed.”
Johns added that extra time should be scrapped or if it remains, that it becomes a “golden try” system.
Hynes ready to return as Sharks try to ‘rewrite history’
When Nicho Hynes is spotted training shirtless, his Cronulla teammates know it’s a good sign.
Hynes is nearing a return to full training for the first time since having ankle surgery in July, giving the Sharks a massive lift ahead of the NRL finals.
The star halfback, at best, will put his hand up for selection in Cronulla’s round-26 match against the Warriors.
If not, the club remains optimistic he’ll play in their final regular-season clash against Manly.
Hynes underwent surgery ahead of their round-19 meeting with Wests Tigers after scans revealed a fractured ankle and complete rupture of the syndesmosis ligament sustained in training.
The prognosis then was that the 2022 Dally M Medallist would miss at least eight weeks.
Hynes took to the field at training on Wednesday to kick with his teammates, before resuming his separate program near the main group.
He is expected to return to full training with the team next week.
Poking fun at his teammate’s penchant for training without a shirt, Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo says Hynes’ much-anticipated comeback will be a timely morale boost.
“He loves it. He’s been doing his upper body so he walks around (shirtless),” Mulitalo said on Wednesday.
“What do you expect, hey? Good-looking bloke.
“He’s been around the boys, so it’s been good for us off the field.
“He’s a massive part of our team, so to have him out there gives us confidence. It’s good for the morale.
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“Just really happy for him where he’s at off the field, and really looking forward to his return.”
Cronulla will be looking to strengthen their grip on a top-four finish when they take on local rivals St George Illawarra on Sunday.
Only two points clear of fifth-placed Canterbury, confirming a double chance in September will no doubt help the Sharks shake off their poor finals form.
Craig Fitzgibbon’s men went out in straight sets in 2022 after finishing the regular season in second place, before losing at home to the Sydney Roosters in an elimination final in 2023.
But Mulitalowas wary of taking too much notice of outside noise around their finals history.
“It’s more people’s multis,” he joked.
“Everyone says, ‘mate, why I didn’t score for their multis’ but nah, I couldn’t care less (about the outside noise).
“Everyone’s going to back themselves in. We’re definitely confident in where we’re at, whether we have believers or not.
“We want to rewrite our history, so it’s just about getting there (to finals) first.”
with AAP