The Huddersfield star criticizes what Jon Wilkin and other pundits said after the incident against Leeds Rhinos

VaselineJuly 26, 2024

0 2 minutes read

The Huddersfield star criticizes what Jon Wilkin and other pundits said after the incident against Leeds Rhinos

Despite Leeds Rhinos easily winning against Huddersfield Giants by a scoreline of 34-6, the post-game analysis revolved around how and whether a man cost the Giants and that player bounced back.

Olly Russell was the player in question, with pundits Jon Wilkin and Brian Carney suggesting that if the Wakefield player had stayed down and potentially tried to ‘milk’ a penalty then Leeds Rhinos’ Sam Lisone could very well have to be eliminated.

With the scores level at 6-6, Lisone took a blistering start at Russell, but the Leeds Rhinos prop drove home with an elbow in a move that saw many fans shocked he was not shown a red card.

The incident was later reported, but it has since been suggested that one of the reasons Lisone received no immediate punishment was due to Olly Russell’s honesty in getting straight back to his feet and not playing for the penalty.

Taking penalties is something that has become a growing trend in sport and is not at all popular, but Jon Wilkin has argued that if Russell had done it then the game could have been completely different, even agreeing that Russell would have “cost” his team. .

Russell has now responded to these suggestions with a statement that directly responds to Sky Sports’ expertise.

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“It’s not football” – reacts Russell after the loss to Leeds Rhinos

Credit: Imago Images

A clip from Sky Sports Rugby League’s X account featured the debate between Jon Wilkin, Tony Smith and Brian Carney in which Wilkin claims “the rules need to change”.

Among those to react was Olly Russell himself, with the Giants playmaker giving his side of the story in a message replying to Wilkin and Co.

He posted: “Normally I don’t comment after games but people say I cost the team a try or the game because I didn’t sit down. I signed up for this sport knowing that it was hard and not football to roll over and pretend I’m hurt, I’m going to get up and it was the right decision.”

It’s a response that has earned him even more praise from the Rugby League community and even from one of his opponents last night, with Jarrod O’Connor labeling him “tough as”.

The Lisone incident was reported, but because Russell had come back and played the ball, the video referee could no longer suggest immediate action to referee Marcus Griffiths.

Making matters worse was the fact that Leeds Rhinos scored in that set when Huddersfield could have had a penalty in Leeds territory and a man advantage.

I don’t normally comment after the game, but people say I cost the team a try or the game because I didn’t sit down. I signed up for sports knowing it was hard and not football to roll over and pretend I’m hurt, I stay up and the right decision was made 👊🏼 https://t.co/Q3srcTJuBR

— OliverRussell🤟🏻 (@OllyRuss6) July 25, 2024

After the game, when asked if it had cost Huddersfield, Wilkin argued: “Yes, it has, but it’s absolutely the right thing to do and morally, it’s the right thing to do.

“If we’re going to be a game that’s based on toughness and principles and all these things that we claim to stand for, then we can’t have people standing on the ground and drawing attention to it, so the rules have to change .

“The rules have to change because the video referee looked at it and used a loophole in the rules to not make a decision. Just let the video referee judge that.”

VaselineJuly 26, 2024

0 2 minutes read