NRL fans call for immediate ban after Cowboys trainer caught in same act as Panthers rival
A Cowboys trainer has been sprung for the same offence his Penrith counterpart was accused of.
Angry NRL fans are calling for trainers to be banned from touching the football during games after a pair of controversial incidents in the Cowboys’ Golden Point draw with Penrith in round 10. Drama erupted after Saturday night’s game when footage emerged of Penrith trainer Shane Elford appearing to spray the footy with a water bottle before the Panthers kicked off in Golden Point.
Fresh vision has since come to light of Cowboys trainer Mitch Dunn being sprung by referee Todd Smith for trying to do the same thing before the second half of extra time. Smith could be heard demanding the footy off North Queensland half Jake Clifford, before walking towards the sideline to get rid of the ball that he revealed had been squirted with water.
“Hang on, no, no, no … give me the ball,” Smith could be heard saying. “You’re not doing that. No way, get another football.” When one of the Cowboys players asked what the issue was, the official replied: “He squirted it with water,” before kicking the ball towards the sideline. It’s unclear if the NRL will take action against either trainer for the incidents that have left plenty of league fans frustrated.
Many have likened the incidents to ball-tampering in cricket and have accused the trainers of trying to gain an unfair advantage for their side by wetting the ball and thus making it harder to handle for the opposition. Some fans have brushed off the controversy and insist it’s no different from playing in the rain. But the big difference is that one occurs naturally, while the other is a manufactured move designed to disadvantage the other team.
NRL teams are only allowed two trainers on the field at any given time but their roles have been the subject of debate for years. Most of the time they provide water bottles to players and help with interchanges but trainers are often seen relaying information from the coaching staff to the playing group and passing on directions from the coach’s box.
Calls to ban trainers from touching the ball during NRL games
But there is absolutely no reason why trainers need to handle the ball during games and allowing them to do so has merely allowed the possibility for such controversies to occur. It’s little surprise then that calls are growing louder for trainers to be banned from touching the footy during NRL games, in the wake of Saturday night’s drama.
NRL legend Billy Slater admits there is a “question mark” around whether the actions of either trainers were against the rules, but suggested a warning from the NRL would be a sufficient punishment in this case. “It’s pretty cheeky thing to do,” the Maroons coach said on Nine’s The Billy Slater Podcast.
“I don’t know whether it’s outside the rules and you’ve only got to play to the rules. If you’ve watched the Panthers closely, there’s so many things that the Panthers started doing over the last five years that every club are doing now. They are leaders in trying to find an edge. Is this too far? That’s a question mark.
“They are trying to find an edge and be that little bit better than the opposition. I can have a laugh and I think the NRL will probably give a warning. I don’t look at it as harshly as some other people. A warning will be sufficient.”