FORMER Super League referee James Child has highlighted one law change that he doesn’t particularly “understand” following the RFL’s attempts to crack down on foul play and prevent head injuries once more ahead of the 2024 season.
That rule change is that of the green card, which was brought in ahead of the 2023 season to combat players deliberately ‘milking’ contact by staying down and receiving a penalty in their favour.
It previously meant that any time a game was stopped due to a player receiving attention, the player must either go off for a concussion assessment or be substituted off – or will have to wait on the sideline for two minutes before returning to play.
Now, however, the green card will only be used at Super League level and only for the defending team.
For Child, the latter decision, in particular, is a confusing aspect of the new laws.
“It will no longer be used at Championship level, only in Super League. It will presumably be included in the Challenge Cup but it doesn’t reference that in the press release. However, it (the green card) will only be shown to those on the defending team so not the ball carrier,” Child said on the Forty20 TV podcast.
“I don’t really understand that law change because one of the reasons for the introduction of the green card was to try and combat when players were in possession of feigning injury because they felt head contact and the referee hadn’t seen head contact or chose to penalise it.
“Players would then stay down to force the game to be stopped to allow for a video reply in the hope they could get the offender sinbinned or sent off.
“With the the tightening up on foul play, that is my concern that we might encourage players in possession to stay down as a result of that law change.
“If a player chooses to stay down, if a head clash will likely lead to a sinbinning or a send off, I think we will see more cards from that rule change.”
What do you think? Let us know in the replies!
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