Focus on Your Skills: Billy Slater’s Straight-Talking Advice to Players Amid Controversy Affecting the Game

NRL legend Billy Slater has voiced concerns that the league is becoming “overly technical” and has pointed to players’ mistakes in light of the recent controversy surrounding the disruptor rule from the weekend’s matches.

This rule sparked considerable debate following two significant incidents, including the disallowed try for the Broncos scored by Brendan Piakura, which was chalked off due to Gehamat Shibasaki’s involvement in a kick contest.

In this instance, Tom Chester mishandled a kick, prompting Slater to advise the young centre to “improve your catching skills.”

The second incident involved Robert Toia, whose try was also disallowed.

After the matches, both coaches, Michael Maguire and Trent Robinson, expressed their frustration, while NRL’s head of football, Graham Annesley, acknowledged to The Sydney Morning Herald that the decision regarding Toia was incorrect.

Annesley further clarified that there is no outright prohibition on one-handed contests, which had been miscommunicated by the NRL during pre-season.

The NRL previously told clubs that “genuinely contesting” means arriving at the ball simultaneously with the defender while using both arms to catch or deflect the ball.

Slater remarked that the confusion stemming from pre-season guidelines was bound to create a “flow-on effect”.

“Honestly, I believe we’ve overcomplicated things to our detriment, which is currently impacting the game,” he said on Nine’s The Billy Slater Podcast.

“I empathise with the referees and match officials; it’s not their fault—they are simply executing the directives they’ve received.”

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“For every contest, the intentions of the players should determine whether they are competing or attempting to obstruct. That’s the crux of the matter.”

“I dislike the term ‘disruptor’; if a player is obstructing another, it’s akin to a defensive line…common sense needs to prevail in these situations.”

Slater continued by emphasizing that referees should have the “liberty” to make decisions based on their assessment of the competitiveness of a contest.

As the coach for the Queensland Maroons, he believes referees need to have confidence, asserting that the high number of penalties reflects an overzealous approach to regulation.

“The game has become excessively pedantic; if we nitpick every detail, we risk calling fouls in every instance,” he cautioned.

The former standout fullback also highlighted that players are bound to misjudge their leaps, as seen in Toia’s case.

“Robert Toia made an honest effort for the ball but miscalculated his jump; that shouldn’t warrant a penalty,” he argued.

“As for the dropped balls in these scenarios, like Chester’s drop during Piakura’s attempt, it’s essential to focus on catching. Such errors shouldn’t be rewarded with penalties.”