Richie Barnett: Dive may push officials to look at obstruction laws

Glenn Stewart. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

For a few years now the obstruction rulings have seemed way out of kilter.South Sydney forward Glenn Stewart may have done the NRL a big favour.

For a few years now the obstruction rulings have seemed way out of kilter - but Stewart's revelation that he took a dive and the subsequent reaction may cause a change for the good.

Everybody watching, at the ground and on television, last Monday knew that Stewart had no chance of getting close to the Cowboys' try scorer Michael Morgan. So Stewart "had a crack", feigned a collision, and that was enough to convince the match officials.

It's gone too far. There now needs to be more of a "footy brain" used, by people with more of a feel for the sport.

The increased focus by the referees on obstruction was brought in when teams like the Storm, Bulldogs and Sea Eagles began to use decoy runners and second man plays that could deny defenders a fair play at the ball carrier.

However, now officials are often swayed when someone falls over in the defensive line, no matter where he might be in relation to the player who makes the break or scores the try.

They seem to have disregarded the most important question, one they should be asked every time they are analysing replays.

"Do you think he is going to make that tackle?" That's the crucial point, everything else is secondary. A player may have been impeded or even taken out, but if he is 30m away from a flying winger, he ain't going to get there.

Judgments can't always be so black and white - you need to look at the logical scenario. As successful appeals are phased out of the game, the diving and play acting should go, too.

Meanwhile, the Warriors will get a good indication of where they are at tomorrow night in Townsville. It's not a great time to be playing the Cowboys - after a stuttering start they are hitting the kind of form that gave them the best home record in the NRL last season.

There are plenty of great match ups: test rivals Ben Matulino and James Tamou, Origin contenders Matt Scott and Jacob Lillyman, and Jason Taumalolo against Simon Mannering. Not to mention the Golden Boot Shaun Johnson against Jonathan Thurston.

Thurston is a handful but the main focus needs to be on limiting the yardage and impact of the Cowboys forwards. If they get momentum he is unstoppable. He's effective in whatever situation - mainly because he has so many options and uses them brilliantly - but if he gets extra time and space behind a dominant pack there isn't much hope for the opposition.

The Warriors have been solid this year but are searching for consistency, looking for that 80-minute performance. Their best form may not be far away. The forward pack is going well and Johnson and Chad Townsend have combined more effectively over the past few weeks. Something is slowly building at Mt Smart.