NRL Milkmen: Why the NRL only have themselves to blame for players staying down

We are just three weeks away from the start of the 2025 NRL Finals series, yet all anyone is talking about is "milking".

For those unfamiliar with the term, a player who stays down and feigns being more hurt than they actually are to force the Bunker to review contact is deemed to have "milked" a penalty.

It's a dirty word. No one wants to be accused of staying down. It ruins the tough guy image NRL players spend their entire careers trying to build.

Except two of the biggest stars in the competition either threw themselves to the ground under minimal contact, or grabbed at a body part under minimal contact just this past weekend.

Both were rewarded with penalties. Once decision even literally decided a game.

Famously, or infamously, this past Thursday night, Harry Grant made the most of minimal contact by Moses Leota, who was penalised for a blocker.

Truthfully it wouldn't have mattered whether or not Grant had hit the turf, Leota was guilty of setting up a blocker for Nathan Cleary and should have been penalised.

Harry Grant though wasn't going to leave anything to luck, as he drew contact and went down as though he'd been close-lined by 1998 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.

Meanwhile on Saturday night, Reece Walsh, under minimal pressure, grabbed at his neck, allowing the Bunker to rule a crusher tackle and award a penalty.

Again, the decision was spot on. The tackle was dangerous. A penalty was justified.

That said, the way Walsh went from the walking wounded to laughing and sprinting up field within half a second suggested he "put it on" just a little bit.

My issue with this entire situation is not with the players, but with the NRL.

Yesterday we had Peter V'landys come out and threaten a yellow card system for players deemed to be faking injuries.

He even said "your (a player's) integrity is worth more than a penalty".

Ok that is all well and good except just two weeks ago the Titans, trailing by two points, saw Jayden Campbell clipped high, right in front of the posts.

The NRL, the next day, admitted he should have been awarded a penalty.

He would have been awarded a penalty and an easy match tying opportunity, if he had stayed down! If he had grabbed at his jaw and slowly risen, the Bunker would have awarded the penalty.

So which means more? The fact that Campbell didn't fake an injury, or the fact that goal would have set up Golden Point?

A win in Golden Point would likely see the Titans avoid a wooden spoon they now look set to collect.

Jayden Campbell's integrity though, that's what the fans will remember!

Just to double down on the pure ridiculousness of the threat, how can you prove a player is faking an injury?

We've seen love taps lead to players being ruled out due to failed HIAs in the past. We've seen players put into next week yet pass their HIA.

Who decided who is faking? The Bunker? They can't get decisions right as is.

Is PVL going to watch on live and decide? Would he have time between ridiculous statements?

Earlier in the year the NRL hilariously warned that players feigning injury would be sent to the doctor for 15 minutes for a head injury assessment.

The independent doctor.

Just let that simmer for a second.

The NRL were going to influence the independent doctor? Force HIA's and tie up the doctors time while genuinely injured players may have to wait?

The NRL have no right to demand players quickly rise to their feet and play the ball after they know they've been collected.

They've literally told players you would should have been awarded a penalty. They've told them they would have been awarded a penalty if they had stayed down.

Integrity though!

The NRL needs to actually undertake a full review of the refereeing and operations. They promised to last year but again, I flatly refuse to believe they did.

The NRL needs to fix the system, the process.

Players shouldn't need to stay down after been smacked across the jaw via a high tackle.

The referees should see the obvious shots.

The Bunker shouldn't need to take the time it does to see what we all see in real time. It shouldn't need a player to stay down for footage to be reviewed and then for a penalty to be awarded.

I don't like players staying down. I hate players grabbing at their jaw for contact akin to a butterfly landing on their shoulder.

That said, if it came down to seeing my favourite player either get up and play the ball quickly, or stay down and be awarded a Premiership winning penalty, I'm taking the penalty eight days a week!

Every team does it.

Rabbitohs middle Jai Arrow admitted as much. He admitted to doing it.

I don't blame him at all.

I don't blame Reece Walsh. I don't blame Harry Grant.

Yes it's frustrating but the reward is just too high.

So either stop awarding penalties after players stay down, or better yet, award them in real time via better officiating.

Threatening yellow cards for simulation isn't going to achieve anything. Trying to shame players into losing their integrity is literally being laughed at right now by playing groups.

So next time a player takes two minutes to rise after a shot that wouldn't rock a toddler, by all means get angry at the player.

Just make sure you also direct that anger where it should be ... the NRL administration team who continue to reward such behaviour.