Rugby League: Sideline the waterboys

By GRAHAM LOWE


It's about time for one of the most boring aspects of the game to be addressed.

Trainers should be banned from going on to the field unless called to do so by the referee during a break in play, and the sidelines should be clear of everyone except the touch judges as they are supposed to be.

Some say that the players need a constant water supply; if that is the case, let them leave the field for a drink then return.

I find it quite amusing that a trainer always has to run alongside a goal-kicker with a drink bottle after a conversion. Does kicking goals raise such a thirst?

Trainers are regularly on the field even before or shortly after the ball is kicked off and it is not for the purpose of hydrating the players. They are giving last-minute instructions from a coach who actually thinks it will make a difference.

It has been going on for years and some clubs are worse than others. It is a form of cheating - subtle - but that is what it is. I've been guilty of it myself.

It's easy to see how confusion reigns with so much activity on the sideline because of trainers running back and forth. It is becoming a joke.

If given their own way, some coaches would have a trainer for each player and, if something is not done about the problem soon, that's what we will end up with.

In the Broncos' 32-24 win over the West Tigers there would never have been an issue of an extra player on the field had the whole sideline procedure been more user-friendly.

Players coming off the field injured or interchanged should have to be at the designated reserve area before a new player can even stand up and approach the sideline.

If the current trend continues, the NRL will become like American football where there are more people on the sidelines than on the field.

THERE are plenty of arguments as to whether the Broncos should or should not have lost their two points for their win against the West Tigers last week. I reckon it is the current system that is at fault.

Sure, the Broncos scored while they had 14 players on the field but one of those players, Shane Webcke, was concussed and being helped off by two trainers.

Their replacement player, Corey Parker, was apparently told by the interchange official three times to wait but says he heard him only twice, and then ran on because his side were effectively down to 12 fit players.

There can be no doubt Parker should not have taken the field until given the nod by the official, but more importantly, referee Shane Hayne should not have restarted the game until Webcke was over the sideline.

What made the matter worse was that Parker immediately finished off a movement that led to him scoring a try.

West Tigers argue that their defence was left unbalanced when Parker joined in, but it sounds to me like there was something wrong with their vision as well, and I have no sympathy for them.

The NRL is correct in their ruling against the Broncos but I've got to say I can't agree with it. If anyone is to blame, it is the referee.

The Broncos have paid a cruel price because of what has been allowed to creep into the habits of referees, replacements and sideline officials.

SITTING in the grandstand last Sunday at Ericsson Stadium reminded of an important asset to the Warriors - their home crowd.

Unlike the fans in some sports, the Warriors home crowd are very knowledgeable and will play an important part in helping to turn the club's poor start around.


Fans in Sydney have featured in the media recently for all the wrong reasons, with some ugly, unacceptable scenes at last week's Bulldogs-Roosters match.

We are really only used to seeing that kind of crowd behaviour at soccer games in Britain or Europe and it is disturbing to now see it at a rugby league game.

I can never recall seeing anything at a league game like we saw at Aussie Stadium last week, and I hope we never see it again.

In some parts of the world people obviously get passion confused with hostility and some of these lunatics want to vent their anger at soccer matches.

Rugby league has always had a great name as a family sport.

Warrington, in the northwest of England, used to be one of the toughest places to visit when I coached Wigan, but although the crowd gave us a real serve, you never felt unsafe.

I recall one match where some of their fans threw bananas on to the ground because apparently they thought one of our players looked like a monkey. He defused any probability of a problem by smiling back at the crowd and eating as many of the bananas as he could.

The Queensland fans at the old Lang Park were unbelievable. I vividly recall thinking when I walked onto the park for the first time as Queensland coach, that I nearly felt sorry for NSW. Two seconds later though, I didn't.

I have no doubt that the influence of those parochial Queensland fans won a number of closely fought encounters against the cockroaches and, try as they may, the NSW crowd have never been able to produce the same intimidating cauldron, even at a packed Telstra Stadium.

Papua New Guinea was an interesting place for touring teams because after the game their fans loved to rush onto the field just to touch the visiting players. Many fans would watch the game sitting up in trees around the ground.

The atmosphere was always exciting, particularly when the local police would let their dogs loose to run across the top of the crowd like sheep dogs across the backs of sheep.

By this stage there was usually a bit of tear gas in the air as well, so it was very different to what we are used to here.

NRL points table and fixtures