Andrew Johns Calls for Revisions to Sin Bin Rules and Head Injury Assessment Procedures

The recent flurry of sin bins during the Easter weekend has led rugby league legend Andrew Johns to suggest the NRL should rethink its approach to this contentious rule.

During round five, four players were sidelined due to sin bins, but it was the temporary removals of Savelio Tamale from the Raiders and Luke Laulilii of the Wests Tigers that particularly troubled Johns.

Tamale was penalised and sent to the sin bin for holding onto the arm of Dom Young, which ultimately thwarted the Knights star’s chance to score a try. Laulilii was binned for committing dangerous contact in the air that resulted in injury.

With both players absent, the Raiders and Tigers conceded points as their opponents capitalised on the situation.

Johns has expressed concerns over the duration players spend in the sin bin.

“I believe that 10 minutes is excessive these days,” he stated on Nine’s Freddy and the Eighth.

“The impact of being sin binned significantly alters the course of the match.

“For any head-related incidents that don’t warrant a send-off, I see no issue with a 10-minute penalty, yet I assert that a professional foul should only result in five minutes.”

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Both Johns and Brad Fittler shared the view that the incidents leading to Tamale and Laulilii’s sin bins did not reflect any malicious intent.

They both raised concerns about the expectations placed on players during such moments.

“When you leap for a bomb, as Laulilii did, and miss, your instinct is to grab onto something. It’s not intentional,” Johns explained further.

Fittler concurred, stating: “I feel that was an unfortunate penalty. He was simply attempting to contest for the ball, and the Parramatta player (Bailey Simonsson) just had a better position and was able to get around him. What are you meant to do in that situation?”

Neither player felt that Laulilii’s actions had worsened the situation for Simonsson.

While John’s main concern was the frequency of sin bins, he also highlighted the need for a more stringent approach to head injury assessments.

“We often chuckle at how theatrical soccer players can be,” he remarked.

“However, if a player goes down, they must immediately leave for a HIA. If you hit your head and lay on the ground for over five seconds, you must leave the field.”