Paul Cooke has his say on on controversial Elliot Minchella yellow card

With no Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves and St Helens at Wembley on Saturday, the Challenge Cup Final between Leigh Leopards and Hull KR made history as the first final without the quartet since 1986.

However, more history was made during the final, though this was very much unwanted history.

Elliot Minchella became the first player sin binned in a Challenge Cup Final for 22 years. The last yellow card came in 2001.

Thus he was the first player sin binned at the new Wembley.

This came after a late hit on Ben Reynolds which when reviewed was deemed as late with no effort to wrap the arms.

Thus he was sin binned in a divisive moment that has seen Minchella banned for one game.

Now former Robin Paul Cooke has had his say on BBC Radio Humberside:

“Don’t touch the kicker. They are a protected species now. You can’t touch a kicker, you can’t hit a ball player when he’s passed the football, and again when you do go in and you make contact with him, unless you wrap your arms and make a tackle you’re not trying to charge the ball down or turn it back.

“He turns his back and he gets in with his shoulder you just can’t do it and it’s soft, I get it’s soft, I get it completely; but the game is like that today.

“If you touch a kicker or you hit a ball player off the ball then you’re gonna be penalised and you’re gonna receive a yellow card and again that is them decisions for me, where, yes, you can go put pressure on Ben Reynolds, but don’t touch him unless you’re close enough to make a tackle, don’t touch him because all you’re asking the referee then to do is make a decision and the video referee to make a decision based on the camera angles they’ve got.

“As soon as Elliot Minchella makes contact with him without wrapping his arms, it’s a nailed on yellow card in today’s game. As much as I don’t like it, that’s the rules, and if you know the rules before you go in, don’t do it, and that’s what you know you think about them key moments and then key decisions in games bearing in mind when Elliot was off the field I don’t think that conceded a try or any points while he was off the field.

“It wasn’t costly but it costs energy later on in the game I get that obviously; but for me you’re just asking Chris Kendall to make a decision by touching Ben Reynolds.”