Phil Clarke would like the powers that be to concentrate on getting the fundamentals of the sport correct.
Tightening up on the basics is important for our sport
In a week where rugby league broke new ground with its innovative club call system, I think it is important to look at the existing rules that are in place.
This year the powers that be have revamped the play-off system, allowing the top seeded team to pick their opponents in the last four. In this case Leeds Rhinos chose to play Catalans in what is believed to be a first in professional sport.
New introductions to increase awareness are fine but the fundamentals of the sport need to be addressed first, in my opinion.
One of the biggest differences between rugby league and rugby union is the 'play the ball' rule. After a man is tackled he must get back on his feet and then roll the ball backwards to a team mate using his foot.
It is the basis of restarting nearly every single play of the game but if you ever listen to my colleague Eddie Hemmings you will know his main bug bear is this being done incorrectly.
Over a decade ago, in an attempt to help speed up the game, officials have allowed players to get way with rolling the ball backwards without making much effort to touch the ball with their feet.
The rules of the sport still state that you must attempt to play it with your foot, however in most occasions this is ignored and goes unnoticed by the referee.
An average Super League game has 270 'play the ball' situations, yet Eddie reckons only 10% are done correctly.
It is an embarrassment to our sport and has much more importance and significance than allowing the league leaders to choose who they will play in the play-offs.
We now have a generation of players who make no attempt to touch the ball with their foot when restarting play. To use a football analogy it is like a player throwing the ball along the floor for a throw-in, or a tennis player serving from inside the baseline.
I appreciate that it will take quite a while to re-educate players to this ruling and yet now seems to be the right time to implement this. The Super League and Championship clubs have over four months before their next competitive match, which is a perfect window to re-emphasise this point.
All clubs should be sent a letter to warn them of this for next season. I for one would be happy to see games at the start of 2010 with particularly high penalty counts in an attempt to enforce this rule.
An average rugby league game has 14 penalties in it and while none of us want to see a match with 80 penalties in it I do think it is important that we get players abiding to the rules and laws of the game
If the majority of the people in the game are happy with things the way they are, then let's rewrite the rules to state that you only need to roll the ball back between the legs.
I am sure that Eddie and I are not the only one frustrated by this so let me know your thoughts on this or any other rule that you feel needs to be enforced.
