LEIGH LEOPARDS head coach Adrian Lam has called for the “outrageous” Super League rule labelled ‘downtown’ to be scrapped.
A penalty is given for ‘downtown’ when an attacking player, who is in front of the kicker in general play, intentionally advances beyond the point of the previous play-the-ball before the ball has passed them.
Essentially, they cannot move beyond the point where the ball was last played until the ball is kicked and the defending team has had a chance to get into position.
Referees will penalise this infraction, awarding a penalty to the defending team – but Lam has hit out at the rule, calling for it to be “eradicated”.
“One of the rules I am frustrated about that we need to look at as a sport is the downtown rule where the opposition kicks down to us, we get behind the ball and the fullback gets tackled,” Lam said.
“90 percent of the time, 90 percent of your team is in front of the play-the-ball still trying to get back behind it.
“If anyone in front of that play-the-ball is involved in the next play then there will be a penalty against. That’s something I want to flag up and have as a talking point.
“I think it’s a penalty that just isn’t needed and needs to be eradicated out of the game. We want our game to be free-flowing and to support the attacking team as much as possible. We want our sport to be an attacking game, not a defensive one from a viewer’s point of view.
“For us to have the ball on tackle one, carry and offload to a player in that position (downtown) on tackle two and then to concede a penalty, is just against everything the game stands for.
“We have been penalised three or four times this year. It’s been a rule forever but hasn’t been used until this season, I. believe.
“But it changes the momentum of a game. It’s outrageous. If you get behind a player carrying the ball and then receive an offload, I presume that would put you in an onside position but you need to be behind the player playing the ball.”