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Parker: Dives are ruining the game, NRL needs to stop it
Corey Parker • August 18th, 2025 11:53 am
How do we stop the dive?
It's something that everyone has spoken about, everyone's got an opinion on it.
A player will do anything they can do to win the game, that's just how it is. Coaches will coach the same way to win a game.
We're seeing it more frequently, players taking dives, staying down, looking up at referees, thinking they've got hit high and they haven't, putting the onus back on the referee, the pressure is back on the referee.
I don't like it and I think particularly when we move forward into the bigger game. There's a real tussle to try and get into the eight, there's jobs on the line, there's livelihoods, there's the ability to play semi finals, top fours, all the above.
We saw a game on Thursday night, where one of the games superstars in Harry Grant went all chips in to win his team a penalty and in doing so, stopped the wind going towards the Panthers.
Harry Grant takes the long way around Moses Leota; what do we want him just to disappear? To stop moving?
Grant then dives into him, throws his arms at him and gets the penalty.
That kick from Cleary was going over. That's game set and match. That's a win.
The field goal. There's two sets of rules now; because if you're playing, if you're running some block shape and you're going to go at the defensive line and you're going to play some shape - and we see it every time teams get down into the 10 or 20 meter zone - they play out the back, you have decoy runners.
We have seen discretion used by referees and bunkers and the call is ‘we don't think you are going to get to that tackle and common sense has prevailed. Try given.
Now all of a sudden, when there is a drop goal attempt, it's a completely different set of rules. The rule for blockers was brought in for exactly that; when you had the ball and you had two markers and then you had two players very close to each other playing the block shape to stop those two markers getting to the said field goal kicker.
Harry Grant's quickest route to Nathan Cleary was inside shoulder get straight to him. Harry didn't do that, he went across, took a dive, got the penalty in and they go and win the game.
Harry's doing everything he can to try and win the game for his team and we see it so often.
Tallyn Da Silva the week before against the Cowboys had head contact, looked at the referee, tried to stay down, do all the things he was trying to do. Referee said 'nothing to see here'.
Jazz Tevaga yesterday (Sunday) did the same thing. Mitch Moses, against the Cowboys, took a dive.
These players are smart. They understand the rule yet the referees aren't making a call.
It needs to stop. The only people that can stop it are the referees.
Players will dive. They'll lay down. They'll get a smack across the nose. They'll stay there, wait, pressure on the back of the neck, all the above.
It will come to the bunker, yet they don't want to make the call.
Everyone saw Harry Grant the other day, everyone thought that is a dive for sure.
Harry has all but admitted it. He was given a gold Logie on Today Show.
I have huge concerns for the bigger games, in particular the Grand Final.
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