GOING into the 2023 Super League season, some top flight players will be practicing consistently in order to align their style of play with the increasing clampdown on foul play.
Back at the beginning of the 2022 season, players were getting sinbinned and dismissed on a continuous basis as some stars struggled to adapt.
In terms of changing the disciplinary structure for 2023, players will now be more susceptible to fines rather than bans for those lower end charges such as Grade A and Grade B.
Leeds Rhinos forward James Donaldson was the first to receive a £250 fine following a dangerous throw in his side’s loss to Wakefield Trinity on Boxing Day.
However, Castleford Tigers head coach Lee Radford has called it ‘smart’ in a bid to reduce the strain on players. “Definitely, I think it’s a smart decision. As a competition the amount of games we are playing is really high when you look at compared to the NRL,” Radford said.
“The strain and test we put on our players is already challenging enough to have three or four missing every round through suspension makes it even more difficult.
“The supporters, as much as they want to see younger payers coming through, they want to see them playing because of their attitudes and talents not because they have to play and unfortunately that wasn’t the case towards the back end of last year.”
On the disciplinary and clampdown on foul play, Radford believes that those senior players such as Liam Watts – who sat out nine games through suspension in 2022 – found it hard to adapt last season.
“I think it’s a challenge for Liam (Watts). As we’ve said, the players of that age have been taught from such an early stage of their career to put as much pressure as they can on their halfbacks and not allow them time and space. That’s the game of cat and mouse.
“Sometimes when you are working that hard from your inside to get to the ballplayer, it’s a fraction of a second you’ve got before the ball leaves his hand or not.
“The adaptation is going to take some time ultimately but it gives us time to work on it pre-season. Hopefully we will see some benefits from having that knowledge.”
