‘This is a shambles’: NRL erupts over captain’s challenge ‘loophole’

NRL pundits are calling for a change after a loophole in the rules was exploited by the Gold Coast Titans, sparking huge controversy.

The NRL's captain's challenge controversy reared its head in the Parramatta vs Gold Coast game.

NRL pundits have slammed the “captain’s challenge” rule after it was once again exploited during Parramatta’s win over the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday night.

The Eels shot out to an early lead but were made to earn the 26-20 victory as the Titans mounted a comeback, scoring all five of their tries in the second half.

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One of those tries came on the back of a captain’s challenge by Gold Coast’s Patrick Herbert.

He deliberately held up his own teammate Mitch Rein’s play the ball to get the referee’s attention to review the previous play where he was held back by Parramatta’s Dylan Brown tugging at his jersey.

The referee obliged and replays indeed showed Brown pulling at Herbert jersey’s and the Titans were given a fresh set of six.

Erin Clark scored off the ensuing play for the Titans but the commentators said the captain’s challenge should never have happened and labelled the exploitation of the rule a “scourge on the game”.

“This is a shambles,” Fox League’s Andrew Voss said.

“Some will say, ‘Look the referee’s made an error, they missed it and they eventually got it right’ but it’s not how the game is meant to be played.

“To deliberately give away a penalty, to go back and review a previous play, I think it’s a big talking point because we don’t want this to creep into the game.

Is the captain’s challenge more trouble that it’s worth? Pic: Fox Sports

“We can nip this in the bud straight away. If you’ve moved on from the play, you can’t go back. It’s got to be a challenge on the play there and then not anything that happened previous to it.

“I reckon there’s a lot of unhappy rugby league fans watching what’s transpired tonight. They are seeing a loophole exploited by the Titans.”

Michael Ennis added: “This is getting out of a hand. It’s not a good look for the game.

“That’s what the officials are there for. If the referee doesn’t see it that’s what the touch judges is there for. Let him be the judge of it. Don’t keep stopping the game.”

But the captain’s challenge should never have been allowed to happen in the first place.

At his weekly briefing on Monday, NRL head of football elite competitions Graham Annesley explained some players deliberately giving away penalties in order to stop play to give themselves the opportunity to challenge a “play-on decision” could risk being sin-binned.

“If he thinks that a player is using gamesmanship, for example, to slow the game down … then the referee still has the ability to take action on that (by sin-binning the player),” Annesley said.

Patrick Herbert exploited the captain’s challenge loophole. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

“Some people will say, ‘Does it really matter, as long as we get the decision right?’

“But there has to be some parameters around this.

“If it doesn’t have parameters around it, we’re stopping the play all the time.

“We have to try and find that right balance between correct decisions and the intrusion that technology can have on the flow and continuity of the game.”

Fox League’s sideline reporter Matt Russell said the Titans’ captain’s challenge will force the NRL to further crackdown on teams exploiting the rule.

“When we brought in the captain’s challenge we perhaps didn’t see this element emerging,” he said.

“It’s back to the drawing board for league headquarters. Let’s see what they come up with in answer to what many people see as a scourge on the game.”

NRL legend Cooper Cronk added: “It’s a loophole in the rules the commission needs to fix.

“They need to fix it before next weekend because we just can’t have players in the game doing professional fouls, which is a sin-binnable offence to go back and have a look.

Parramatta won an entertaining game against the Titans. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

“Let’s just keep it simple. The idea of a captain’s challenge. You can only challenge if it’s a stoppage. If it’s not a stoppage, well it’s unlucky.

“I don’t think you should be given the power to do a professional foul and then go back and review everything. If it doesn’t happen in a stoppage, you can’t challenge it.

“These loopholes are slowing the game down. Just remove the loophole and play on.”

Rugby league fans were divided on the issue.

NRL reporter Brad Walter tweeted: “The referee shouldn’t be allowing this captain’s challenge, IMO. It should be a sinbin.”

Players causing an intentional penalty so they can call a captains review on the previous play is ludicrous. #NRLTitansEels

— Lui Zacher (@LuiFromTheRadio) April 9, 2022

But sports reporter Matt Bungard disagreed, tweeting: “No idea why anyone has an issue with giving away a penalty to get a stoppage for a captain’s challenge — it’s a tactical gamble, not a ‘loophole’.

“If you stuff it up, you give away a penalty. That’s … why it’s called a penalty.”

Originally published as ‘This is a shambles’: NRL erupts over captain’s challenge ‘loophole’