Lee Radford is looking forward to communicating his concerns about the impact of cards and suspensions in the game to the RFL this week.
On Wednesday, the Super League coaches will have a virtual meeting with the match review panel and Robert Hicks, the RFL’s director of operations and legal.
The crackdown on foul play, especially in relation to high tackles, has been a hot topic in the opening weeks of the season, and will be a central point of conversation when coaches have their say this week.
Radford, whose Castleford Tigers side were beaten at Huddersfield Giants on Saturday in a match that featured no fewer than four yellow cards, believes the increased punishments for offences are having a detrimental effect on the sport.
And he believes some of the actions by players could make the game more akin to netball, in an apparent reference to the comments by the RFL’s operations officer Karen Moorhouse on Sky Sports last week, referring to sports Rugby League could follow in making the game safer.
“It’s just the influence they’re having on the game, the impact on the game is significant,” said Radford of the cards in the Tigers’ see-saw battle at Huddersfield.
“If you’re a neutral, I think it’s a great watch. But we’re promoting blokes to roll over on the floor without any contact to the head, and if that’s the look for the sport that it wants moving forward then we will be in netball outfits by the time we’re all finished.”
Radford also lamented a lack of communication over the new changes, which he hopes can be improved upon with the meeting this week.
He said: “We were told a week before the season started how we’re going from zero to 100, how what was last year’s slap on the wrist is now a Grade D and four or five games (suspended).
“Communication would have been key there.”
His Castleford side go to Wigan Warriors on Thursday looking for just a second win of the season, with Bureta Faraimo set to return from suspension.
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