Hull FC interim head coach Andy Last is the latest figure to weigh in on the debate around the captain’s challenge in Super League and whilst he also wants rid, he’s offered up a different reason.
For many fans, players, pundits and coaches, some of whom have been very vocal, the system needs to go because of how much it slows the game down and distracts from the on-field action.
Whilst Last did note that, he’s called for the captain’s challenge to be removed because of what it is as a core principle, claiming that the referee’s word should be final and that even when errors are made, they can often become pivotal and historic moments.
“It’s one of those things,” Last said in his presser, shared on the Hull FC YouTube channel, adding: “You look over the history of our sport and there have been some big big calls made by referees, which have benefited or hindered your team.
“It makes it a spectacle. The referees, just like the players, make mistakes and there are going to be some mistakes that are more costly than others.”
On the principle of players being able to challenge officials, he said: “I just don’t like the fact that captains can challenge, I’m not a big lover of it. We’ve always been brought up on the referee call being final and now it’s not final because you can go and challenge it.
“I just don’t think it’s a good look for the game. I’d rather it be that the referee makes a decision, get on with it, go and deal with it. If he makes a bad call, he makes a bad call. We all make errors, don’t we?”
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Hull FC boss points to history as captain’s challenge criticism continues
Last would go on to highlight two historic incidents that he felt have only added to the rich history of the sport, even if they are contentious, as he argued that the captain’s challenge would have diluted the drama of them.
The first of those was Leon Pryce’s try or no try when St Helens played Bradford Bulls, as Last joked: “If we had captain’s challenge then, we’d still be looking at Leon Pryce try or no try in St Helens v Bradford. They’d still be looking at it now and how long ago was that.
“It wasn’t clear but that was a great talking point. I think back to the Chris Joynt voluntary tackle and the end of the match blowing up at the referee, imagine that as a captain’s challenge.
“There have been some unbelievable moments that have centred around refereeing decisions. It is what it is, I prefer getting on with the game, letting it flow and if he doesn’t get it right, he doesn’t get it right. We all make mistakes.”
Last did also echo similar arguments to other critics, noting the lack of flow in games and the fact that captain’s challenge cannot and will not succeed until Super League gets a system akin to the NRL.
He argued: “I know we’ve followed the model of the NRL but they’re a little bit further on in their infrastructure and ability to get top-class camera footage, so it seems they do things a little bit quicker than we do.
“I don’t like the look, I think it’s too stop-start. I like the product that we’ve got, we shouldn’t always be chasing the NRL.
“We’ve got our own type of style and our own product. I just don’t like the look, there’s no flow to the game.
“The first half last week lasted 53 minutes and that’s not a good look for anybody. I prefer the game to flow a bit more.”
