NRL encourages more use of sin bin

The NRL has encouraged referees to continue making more use of the sin bin.

This comes after a meeting of the new-look NR Competition Committee on Wednesday.

The committee, which comprises some of the leading figures in Rugby League, was told that referees sent 43 players to the sin bin in 2017, more than double the figure of 17 in 2016.

They have now agreed that referee should continue to show the yellow card more and look at using the sin more for breaches like repeated goal line infringements aimed at slowing down the play and deliberate and dangerous foul play incidents.

Referees would also be urged to be more vigilant in penalising players for failing to make an attempt to use their foot in the play-the-ball.

The committee includes Paul Green, Ivan Cleary, Greg Inglis, Jason King, Tony Archer, Darren Lockyer, John Lang, John Grant, Todd Greenberg and Wayne Pearce.

They all agreed that action was needed to stop the growing trend of teams giving away deliberate penalties on their own goal-line to slow down the play.

And Wests Tigers coach Cleary revealed that teams would be reluctant to give away a penalty inside their own 10-metre line if players knew that there was a greater chance of being shown the yellow card.

Greenberg said the committee’s charter was to make the game more free flowing.