Instant justice verdict could be the answer believes Castleford Tigers coach

Castleford Tigers saw a number of opposition players hit with retrospective bans following fixtures with the Tigers in 2020.

St Helens player Tommy Makinson was given a five-game ban after an incident with Liam Watts in a contest which Castleford lost and Warrington Wolves’ Tom Lineham was also hit with a lengthy suspension immediately following a fixture between the clubs.

The ban on the players had no benefit for the Tigers but Powell has warned that he does not want to see similar scenes to ones that have been witnessed in the Premier League this season.

“You don’t want to stop the game too much, I think there are instances when you look at other sports – football has probably gone too far the other way,” he said.

“You don’t want too many stoppages but there had been a couple of incidents against us this year when there were sending-off offences but there wasn’t a red card.

“That just increases frustration.

“There is potential for video referees to rule on some foul play instances that referees clearly haven’t seen.”

Powell also feels that clubs and officials need to work together to improve the standard of refereeing and discipline in Super League.

The Tigers chief branded the officiating in the top flight as “terribly poor” at the end of September but feels there are solutions to improve standards.

“I think we have to work with the referees more closely to help them understand what the game needs,” he added.

“That is both sides of it; what do they need from us and what do we need from them?

“I think it is absolutely crucial that we can work together to enhance the sport.

“We have got quite a few young referees as a lot of experienced referees have dropped out of the sport.

“The more we can help the standard be as good as it can be, then surely that is what we all want.

“I think we can work a little bit more closely to ensure we are all at our best.”

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