A new NRL rule has been roasted after Cowboys flyer Braidon Burns was pinged for tackling Storm counterpart Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown in the air in trying to stop a try.
In the first half with the Storm leading 16-10, Jahrome Hughes put up a pinpoint kick for winger Tuimalatu-Brown, who caught the ball and was coming down on the tryline when Burns appeared to touch him in the air in a desperate bid to stop a try.
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However, replays showed while Burns did Tuimalatu-Brown, he didn’t make a tackle in the air and was merely trying to position himself to stop the Storm winger once he hit the ground.
Had Burns not made an attempt to stop him, Tuimalatu-Brown would have just had to fall over the line to score, with the Bunker call drawing the ire of Greg Alexander.
“This is the greatest example of why this should not be the rule… that’s how stupid the rule is,” Alexander said on Fox League.
“He touched him. There is no doubt he touched him. That’s the rule, you can’t touch a player if their feet are off the ground.”
Andrew Voss was equally perplexed over the Bunker’s ruling, which by the letter of the law was correct, but showed the rule needs to be re-examined.
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Tom Dearden and Gerard Sutton discuss the penalty for tackling a player in the air.Source: FOX SPORTS
“Wow. That can’t be. He went to do it and then pulled his arms away,” Voss said.
Cowboys skipper Tom Dearden remonstrated with referee Gerard Sutton, asking what else Burns could have done to avoid an easy try in a heated back and forth.
Sutton: “It’s going to be a penalty and nothing more than that. But you do make a tackle and motion on him while he’s in the air.”
Dearden: “Can I just say, when it’s that close to the line he’s entitled to stand his ground.”
Sutton: “I get that it’s tough.”
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Dearden: “Do you know what I mean?”
Sutton: “I do, I do.”
Dearden: “You can’t stand back and let him put the ball down.”
Sutton: “I understand mate.”
Dearden: “You can stand your ground and let him stand and then tackle him.”
Sutton: “I understand but that’s the rule as it stands so I can’t do anything about the rule.”
It capped a half of tough calls that went against the Cowboys with Todd Payten likely to take issue with the refereeing after the game.