Watson slams Sarginson suspension, calls out players for ‘milking’ penalties

Salford boss Ian Watson has criticised players for trying to win penalties after Dan Sarginson and Luke Yates were handed suspensions.

Both players will miss Saturday’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Warrington and Watson has been left infuriated by the sanctions, particularly in the case of Sarginson.

Sarginson was cited for his tackle on Hull full-back Jamie Shaul, receiving a yellow card during the game, and  Watson didn’t hold back in airing his opinions on the matter.

“I was really looking forward to tomorrow,” said Watson. “We have just had a good session with the guys we have in and managed to structure a team, and now it has been thrown into disarray given everything that is going on.

“To be fair, it is a bit ridiculous. I got off the phone with Dan Sarginson and we went through a couple of clips of past situations that are by far worse than what Dan’s are and did not receive anything for.

“I am a little baffled by what the match review have seen because everyone keeps talking about having a duty care for the defender going into the attacker.

“However, I am sick to death of people going into the tackle and getting up and holding their neck to try and cheat a penalty out for a crusher tackle which is not a crusher tackle.

“Full-backs losing their legs whenever they want. The best of it is, Jamie Shaul loses his legs and then half a second where Dan has to choose his tackle technique and what he is committed to do, and there is no way to do that.

“The ball carrier has to have a duty of care for himself. He cannot just dive head first into a tackle and say ‘I have been hit round the head’.

“It just seems that the rules say ‘duty of care has to be done by the defender, the attacker, you can do what you want’, so if you want to back into a tackle and sit down, and they go on a crusher, well you have just won a penalty and someone is banned for the next few weeks.”

Hull FC coach Andy Last claimed Sarginson’s challenge on Shaul was “an absolute shocker” in his post-match press conference, believing he could have received more than a yellow card.

However Watson defended Sarginson’s tackle, claiming there was little the former England centre could do in the challenge.

“We are really big on discipline within the club,” Watson revealed. “We pulled a player last year and it was for backing into a tackle, sitting himself down in a crusher position.

“He is going to hurt himself if he keeps doing that. You cannot keep blaming the defender for putting you in that position.

“All of a sudden, you feel like backing in and nowhere to go before sitting down and getting an easy penalty, you are putting yourself in a dangerous position so some responsibility must fall on the ball carrier as well.

“Everyone has a duty of care for themselves and for each other in the game. I do not want people getting injured but there are people at the moment who will stay down, hold their neck and they have not really been crushed.

“I do not know how many times Jamie Shaul has been knocked out during his career, but it is a lot.

“That one at weekend, there was nothing Dan Sarginson could do about that one.”