MICHAEL Ennis says the NRL is encouraging players to flop by not making its obstruction rule clear.

The issue reared its head over the weekend thanks in large to a livid Ricky Stuart demanding a phone call from NRL boss Todd Greenberg to explain contrasting decisions which Stuart believes cost Canberra wins in consecutive games.

The Raiders were denied a try in the 53rd minute of Saturday’s clash with the Warriors, when decoy runner Luke Bateman was judged to have impeded defender Bunty Afoa. A week earlier Newcastle had been awarded a try despite Stuart believing an obstruction had occurred.

The decision on Saturday appeared to be correct and clear-cut. But there was confusion on Friday night when the video referee awarded Canterbury a try despite Penrith defender James Maloney being taken out on his outside shoulder by a Bulldogs decoy runner.

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It’s that inconsistency that’s created mass confusion and unrest among players, coaches, fans, and commentators.

But Ennis believes it could have a much more damning effect on the game.

He says players will be more likely to flop in the defensive line in order to take the “minimal contact” ruling out of play.

“We are encouraging these defenders to fall over if we start trying to judge from a bunker that’s kilometres away from the football ground, determining what sort of contact is made on the football field,” Ennis told Fox Sports.

“You’ve got a referee in the middle there, but you’re encouraging players to fall over if we continue down this path of minimal contact.”

Cronulla captain Paul Gallen was famously accused of diving against the Wests Tigers last season, when the Tigers were denied a try because the bunker found Gallen to have been impeded.

It’s those incidents Ennis fears will become more common in the game unless the NRL clarifies its obstruction rule.

He agrees with Stuart the obstruction calls are inconsistent.

“There’s a set of rules that we saw last year that if you run an outside shoulder and make contact with the defender it was a clear no try,” Ennis said.

“For some reason on Friday night we saw Will Hopoate run exactly that line on James Maloney, Mbye goes through that space, deemed to be minimal contact, and deemed to be a try.

“An hour later at Campbelltown Matt Gillett runs the same line, James Roberts goes through, Ashley Klein all over it — no try. And that’s the ruling we have all gone by.

“That’s the frustration, when you go to so much effort preparing a football side, with coaches and fans and we get inconsistent calls.

“It’s absolutely irrelevant, the contact, if you make contact and impede a defender then it can’t be a try. Simple as that.”