CASTLEFORD TIGERS head coach Craig Lingard reveals that he raised the issue of mitigation at a Super League coaches meeting held yesterday.
Lingard, who was outspoken in the red card and subsequent ban handed to his forward Liam Watts after the first round of Super League, was one of 12 Super League bosses present with the Rugby Football League (RFL) to talk about the spate of cards and suspensions surrounding head contact.
For Lingard, he has reiterated the need for patience and has explained what issue he raised.
“It’s a work in progress, there we will be frustrations and we know that everything will not be right. Referees won’t make the right decisions all the time and neither will players and coaches,” Lingard said.
“There needs to be patience and buy in, the quicker we want to work together for a common goal.
“At the minute with the words around mitigation, it’s only if the ball carrier rapidly loses weight or changes direction so if the referee hasn’t adjudged that the ball carrier has gone too low then you can’t lose the ball carrier as mitigation.
“It takes a little bit of defence away from the player making the tackle and then it’s down for the disciplinary to adjudge whether it’s correct or not.
“I wanted them to have a word about mitigation. If the referee doesn’t see or judge the ball carrier height will be taken into consideration.
“There was a guarantee it would get looked at but not a guarantee it would change.”
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