North Queensland Cowboys coach Todd Payten has questioned the NRL's "irrelevant" kick pressure rules.
The comments came following his team's 38-12 defeat to the Brisbane Broncos on Friday night, where Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds caused havoc for Cowboys players with his boot.
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In wet conditions at Suncorp Stadium, both sides struggled with ball control.
However, it was the visitors who made some key mistakes, with a significant percentage of their 16 errors coming as a result of Reynold's precarious bombs.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten criticises NRL kick pressure rules
When asked if Reynolds had too much time to get kicks away during Friday night's encounter, Payten argued it's difficult to put kickers off in the modern game because they're "protected" on the field.
"Kick pressures are almost irrelevant now," he said in the press conference following his side's heavy loss.
"They (kickers) don't feel spooked. They know they can't get hit, so they don't baulk on any kicks.
"I think that front-on pressure is probably the way to go — that's the only way you can kind of put [a kicker] off.
"If you come in from marker, [the kicker] knows that as soon as the ball's on the foot, they're protected. So [Reynolds] had a bit of time.
"I'm not saying catching balls at the back is easy, but that's [the back line's] job and they've got to get it done."
Payten was then asked if kick pressure rules have gone "too far", to which he hesitantly agreed.
"I think we have a little bit, yeah," he said.
"There's a fine line [but] I think we should protect our players."
Adam Reynolds kicking stats vs Cowboys: Broncos halfback stars
Broncos coach Kevin Walters praised his experienced halfback's performance post match.
Reynolds made a timely return from a knee injury, guiding his team to an impressive win without star fullback Reece Walsh.
MORE: NRL admits Bunker error as Roosters robbed of try in defeat against Panthers
He kicked for 650 metres from just 22 kicks — seven of which were bombs.
The 33-year-old also picked up two try assists and scored 14 points through conversions and penalty goals.
"[His kicking game] was [first class], particularly early," Walters said. "You can start building pressure on the back of Adam's kicking ... that was one of the reasons why we went to [South] Sydney two or three years ago.
"On these occasions, he knows which kicks to put up and he knows how to put people under pressure with his kicking game, and he did that tonight for us."
NRL Round 4: Schedule, results and scores so far
| Date/Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Thu. March 28th (8:00 pm) | Roosters 16 def. by Panthers 22 | Allianz Stadium |
| Fri. March 29th (4:05 pm) | Rabbitohs 20 def. Bulldogs 16 | Accor Stadium |
| Fri. March 29th (8:05 pm) | Broncos 38 def. Cowboys 12 | Suncorp Stadium |
| Sat. March 30th (5:30 pm) | Dragons vs Sea Eagles | WIN Stadium |
| Sat. March 30th (7:35 pm) | Titans vs Dolphins | Cbus Super Stadium |
| Sun. March 31st (4:05 pm) | Warriors vs Knights | Go Media Stadium |
| Sun. March 31st (6:15 pm) | Sharks vs Raiders | Shark Park |
| Mon. April 1st (4:00 pm) | Eels vs Tigers | CommBank Stadium |
| BYE | Storm |
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