Just playing Devils Advocate mate – Smith made the ‘Common Sense’ decision (for once) and IMO the lost, under the circumstances was sufficient punishment.

Well said I thought we defended well in awful conditions to say we only had 15 for most of the game .

and castleford didnt defend well then for the remaining 65 minutes you muppet

Where were you on Saturday night? You said name the time and thep lace. I said 20 minutes at Wheldon road.

I waited 2 hours for you and you didn't turn up. You're all mouth.

Only thought about this when reading the above comment, but if a player is offside to play at the ball, is he also offside when tackling an opposition player who picks up the ball.

Can't say I've seen as crucial a decision as that, given the timing (apart from Millenium Magic) but I'm sure there's been plenty of knock-ons or the like where the tackling player was in front of the player that lost the ball and don't remember an instance of them being penalised

I'd also go with your second paragraph. It's an interesting talking point (or perhaps not on here) and I don't know the rule book answer.

Had Shenton taken a couple of steps back to behind the point where Sherwin lost contact with the ball (Sherwin continued sliding away from the ball so Shenton wasn't that far in front) he would have been onside and able to contest the ball with McGuire. Had he done so (given the nine seconds left on the clock) the game likely as not is drawn.

Nice work Michael.

Don't be too harsh on the lad. You can see him hesitate, before picking the ball up, indicating to me he knew it was the lesser of two evils.

These players aren't academics, I think multiple options in a split second is pushing it for most people.

He did the right thing IMO. Lucky for us the ref got the call right, and Sinny hit the target

Not being harsh, I give him credit for the hesitation.

He still did the wrong thing though, especially if he realised/suspected he was giving away the game winning penalty. The better option was to tackle McGuire as/if he took possession. McGuire was far from certain to score (highly unlikely) and Leeds would have only had one play left to win the game.

Expected Sinfield to do another cartwheel.

Shenton would have still been penalised and the game cannot finish without the penalty been taken. Therefore Sinfield kicks the penalty and we lose by two.

Penalised for tackling McGuire? Really, is that the rule?

Then he should of backed up a step or two (behind where Sherwin lost contact with the ball) and played himself onside before making the tackle. Leaving Leeds one play to win the match.

Except he wouldn't.

Once McGuire retrieves the ball, the relative position of any Cas player tackling him to where Sherwin last touched it is irrelevant. It wasn't from a kick, he doesn't have to give the Leeds player 10 metres if he's in front of the last of his team to touch the ball.

Course there was always the chance that he could have either timed it wrong and taken McGuire early (which risked giving away a penalty try) or missed the tackle and McGuire scores making the kick irrelevant.

While none of that would have most likely gone through his mind, the snap judgement he made to play the ball was entirely the right one in the circumstances.

I thought it was as Sherwin was on the floor and Shenton was in front of him nearer the ball.

I thought Shenton would have been offside no matter what. Oh well it's all history now.

Yup.

Stop laughing.

According to my Cas supporting colleague who is also a referee, he'd have still been offside if he'd not have retreated behind where Sherwin knocked on.

Well whaddya know, having just looked it up he's right - section 14 of the laws says a player is offside if the ball touches, is touched, held or kicked by a team-mate behind him.

I thought that only applied to kicks, but apparently not. He'd have had to give McGuire ten metres unless he had retired behind Sherwin first.

There didn't seem to be 10 metres behind Sherwin for Shenton to have gone unless he fancied standing with us and then going back in to the field of play.

You can't be offside in your own in-goal, so presumably had he stood on the goal-line he would not have been treated as being inside the ten.

McGuire must have known this, so drifted the ball stopping just short of the in goal area

You mean controlled it with the invisible tractor beams that shoot from his eyes, surely?

My mistake

Surely it would have been sufficient for Shenton to retreat behind the point that Sherwin lost contact with the ball to be back onside. He wouldn't have needed (for example) to get behind the still sliding Sherwin (has he stopped yet.)

Sherwin caught the ball well within the playing area so Shenton could have placed himself back onside while remaining within the field of play.

Yet McGuire did

The title of the thread should give you a clue.