Parker warns of players milking penalties following controversial Grant sin bin

NRL great Corey Parker has warned that players may begin milking penalties and stop applying kick pressure if current interpretations of players making contact with a kicker’s leg are adjudicated on a black-and-white basis.

Issues around players contacting a kicker’s leg have been a prominent talking point since Round 5 after Rabbitohs’ halfback Lachlan Ilias had his tibia broken when Warriors’ hooker Freddy Lussick collided with it trying to charge down a kick. Ilias was ruled out for three-to-six months while Lussick copped a four-match suspension.

The issue has persisted after multiple controversial penalties with serious game ramifications were awarded for similar incidents in different games.

The most recent occurred when Melbourne Storm captain Harry Grant was sin binned for contacting Cronulla Sharks half, and former Storm teammate, Daniel Atkinson. The Sharks scored one minute later.

Parker warned that a precedent has now been set and players may abuse the rule to gain advantages.

“The NRL has obviously drawn a line in the sand that if you make any sort of contact… it’s 10 in the bin… because Harry Grant went to the bin,” Parker told SENQ Mornings.

“As Harry Grant said you can’t let that (kick pressure) out of the game, guess what, it’s going out of the game.”

Parker said that the removal of kick pressure is exactly what the NRL want to make a more exciting product.

“They want the kickers to be able to put up their nice, flash spiral… so the fullbacks can sit under the ball and show their skill because the reason it was brought in was a) player safety but b) they want the fullbacks to be able to express themselves,” Parker remarked.

“What will happen is that players will be so reluctant to get out in front and make contact… that these kickers will get their kicks underway which is exactly what the NRL want.

“It was minimal contact we saw from Harry.”

Grant was charged with a Grade One Dangerous Contact Charge and will escape suspension with an early guilty plea.

Image courtesy of nrl.com