Leeds Rhinos: Matt Parcell in favour of video refs at all games

At the moment, only televised Super League games have a video official and in-goal judges assist the referee when cameras are not present.

Parcell felt Adam Walker’s first try for Salford Red Devils in their 28-16 win over Rhinos last week would have been disallowed under the Australian system.

“It was a double movement,” Parcell said. “He put it down and then reached over, but that’s what’s going to happen if there’s no video ref at all the games.

“I think there should be, otherwise it is unfair. It is tough on the referee, he has got to make a split-second decision. If that [Walker’s touchdown] had not been a try we would have gone in at half-time at 6-6.”

Parcell insisted: “It is not the referee’s fault, he has got to make a split-second decision on whether it’s a try or not. It is tough, they are big calls in games and not having a video ref at all games is something they maybe should look at.”

Parcell stressed he is not making excuses for last week’s result, adding: “Salford were really good. When we scored just before half-time we went in and we were feeling all right but, in the second half, they ran hard and completed really well.”

That was Dave Furner’s final game in charge before being sacked, Rhinos have yet to string back-to-back wins together this season and are third from bottom in Super League and still deep in relegation danger. It was the fifth time in their last six league matches they have collapsed in the second half after being either in front or well in the game at the break. Against Castleford Tigers, Huddersfield Giants and Hull KR, all at home, they managed to hang on for a win, but last week’s defeat was similar to the Easter-Monday loss at Wakefield Trinity. Then Rhinos hit back from 12-0 down to level the scores at the interval, but conceded 14 points and had left themselves too much to do by the time they staged a late rally. At Salford, a converted try just before the break halved the hosts’ lead to 12-6, but they scored 16 unanswered points and two late touchdowns by Leeds only made the scoreline more respectable.

Parcell admitted: “We probably didn’t put enough pressure on them early in that second half and they got a bit of a roll on, they got a few penalties and they scored some tries.

“With 10 minutes to go we got a couple of tries and we were back in it, but it was just the start of the second half that let us down.”

Rhinos get a break from league action on Saturday when they visit Bradford Bulls for a Coral Challenge Cup sixth-round tie.

Interim coach Richard Agar will be in charge and Parcell predicted: “It is going to be a big occasion. It is a long time since Leeds last played Bradford at Bradford and I’d say they are going to go all out and put everything into it. It’s something we can’t take too lightly.”