LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Ivan Cleary has urged the NRL to reconsider the rule governing tackling attacking players in the air, especially as the Melbourne Storm prepare to face the Panthers in their grand final rematch on Thursday night. Recent controversies have surfaced regarding the NRL's interpretation of this rule, particularly following instances where the Storm and Sharks were awarded penalty tries over the weekend.
In one scenario, the Storm received a penalty try against the Broncos when Coates was ruled to have been tackled in the air close to the line. A similar situation occurred for the Sharks against the Dragons with Teig Wilton. The current rules dictate that players cannot be tackled in the air, regardless of whether they are the attacker or defender.
This rule change, implemented in 2020 for player safety, previously allowed attacking players to be tackled in the air. Defenders had no choice but to let the attacking player score if they caught the ball in the in-goal area. However, now defenders must wait for the attacker to land before they can execute a tackle, or they face a penalty try.
With Coates facing off against the much smaller Brian To'o, the Storm will have a marked advantage. During State of Origin 1, To'o was sin-binned for tackling Coates in the air while trying to prevent a try. If he finds himself in that matchup again on Thursday, To'o is likely to be targeted with high kicks.
Cleary is advocating for a change to the rule, questioning whether its current interpretation has "drifted" from its original purpose. He remarked, "I'm not comfortable. Some of the (rulings) you've seen have nothing to do with safety, so I think there's a little bit of common sense needed around that rule."
He further noted, "It's one of those where the rule was originally made, we tend to forget why it was made, and we drift off, and it becomes something else. As long as it's deemed safe, I think you should at least get the opportunity to try to stop a try in that situation. Anyone who matches up against some of these wingers, including Xavier, it's a tough ask."