Coach talk

Players being pulled up for infringements is a burning issue after two opening rounds to the new season.

The most common offence has been technical indiscretions surrounding the point of collision between players and the subsequent play-the-ball.

At the point where attacker meets defender, the attacking team attempts to move on to the next play quickly.

The player in question will attempt to get back on their feet as quickly as possible and will certainly try to avoid ending up on their back, as that results in the slowest of play-the-balls.

In contrast, the defender in question attempts to make it as difficult as possible for the attacker to get back on their feet.

The defender wants to give the rest of his teammates enough time to get in position to defend the next play.

Something of a wrestle ensues between attacker and defender(s) on the ground and it all has to be done in seconds and within the rules of the game.

When defenders get it wrong, they feel the wrath of the referee.

Cullen said: "Penalties are something that we continually work on.

"Ironically, it's one aspect of our game we've spent more time on than anything else, the way we work collision and the way we work the floor.

"In round one there were 16 penalties and in round two there were 12. There's a slight improvement but we accept that simply is not enough."

At the start of the season when the supporter and media focus is on who will win Super League, who will reach the Grand Final, who will win the Challenge Cup and who will be in the top six, Cullen says coaches and players are on a different plain altogether.

He explained: "All the talk of those pre-season goals are not for us, that's why I never get involved in it.

"Our pre-season goals are about 80 per cent completion rates, zero penalty counts and playing 75 per cent of good-field rugby.

"There is a panic element at times when you play against St Helens because they are so quick at the play-the-ball.

"When we were losing collision at Knowsley Road on Friday they were hitting and dropping, or hitting and spinning, and finding knees and elbows.

"And once a defender's off, you can't go back on.

"But players were losing the tackle, losing collision and going back on for a second effort to try and slow it all down.

"What they should be doing is what we practiced and that's what we've gone with again all this week.

"And that is, if you miss your shot and you're done at the marker, don't go back on - trust your second marker and trust your line of defence to soak up that go-forward.

"That's what didn't happen at Saints."

He added: "It wasn't like that every tackle but occasionally Saints got us, players panicked and went back on.

"That's why you see players having a second effort, putting a hand on the ball or straddling across someone or nudging them out of the way or not getting square at the marker - it's because they're losing collisions.

"It's an area that cost us the game. That was the deciding factor, that's where we spent most of our effort.

"It's not about defending your try line because that's trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted.

"We had good field position against St Helens.

"We were making them run out of their own quarter because we were completing with a good kick and chase.

"But then we'd miss a tackle and someone would give a penalty away.

"It's about keeping Saints in their own quarter and being able to manage them.

"St Helens will score tries against every team when they've got you on your own try line, as they did all last year and I'm sure they'll continue to do all this year.

"And, to be fair, as we did. We didn't score five tries at half time.

"We scored them at crucial points in the game right through world-class international players.

"We hit our targets. Unfortunately, the penalties robbed us of sufficient ball and sufficient field position to keep on doing so."