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Billy Slater believes it might be time for the bouncing ball rule that cleared Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad’s mid-air tackle on Reuben Garrick to be revisited.
The Warriors fullback charged down a Daly Cherry-Evans field goal attempt, which Garrick jumped to catch the rebound.
Following through, Nicoll-Klokstad then took Garrick’s legs from under him, and the Manly Sea Eagles No.1 landed flat on his back. He then let go of the ball, which constituted a knock-on.
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The ruling infuriated Manly coach Anthony Siebold.
“It was a dangerous tackle, he’s injured. He couldn’t finish the game and it’s our season on the line so I’m pissed off about it,” he said after the game.
Speaking on Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show, Andrew Johns said he believed the rule was fine as it is, and said the tackle was “spectacular”.
Brad Fittler meanwhile disagreed, and said Nicoll-Klokstad should have been penalised for putting Garrick in a dangerous position.
He said while Nicoll-Klokstad did nothing wrong by the rules, the definition of “dangerous position” was met.
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Garrick smashed by legal mid-air tackle
“At some stage he is in a dangerous position, I would say. That looks dangerous to me,” he said.
Slater reiterated the referee made the right call.
“You want the referees to referee to the letter of the law, so they have done that,” he said.
“We can’t be disappointed about the referee doing their job correctly. So does the rule need to change? Maybe you need to look at that.”
Seibold goes nuclear on ‘ridiculous’ tackle
The Queensland coach said he believed Manly had two calls go their way that perhaps shouldn’t have.
A Warriors try was earlier denied due to an obstruction on Daly Cherry-Evans, where it appeared the Manly No.7 would have struggled to get across to cover.
Then, on half time, Haumole Olakau’atu appeared to touch a ball that was already travelling forward before Jason Saab scored.
“I don’t think you can look at one situation in a game and go, ‘Well, that is why we lost’.
“Swings and roundabouts. I don’t think it changed the result.”
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