Interesting to read Vossy's article this week on the NRL website.. This was what he wrote about the dead ball rule that the media seem to think shafted the Rorters last Friday in Newcastle.
I will do my best to explain, as it came up in last Friday night's game between the Roosters and the Knights.
The important thing to realise is there are different verdicts for attackers and defenders.
The ball mid-air only has to have broken the plane of the dead ball line when contacted by a defending player for the ball to be dead. That is providing the defender does not have a foot grounded in the in-goal area. But it does not matter that he may have taken off from the in-goal area, yet not landed over the line when he makes contact with the ball. It is out.
It is different however for attackers; a play made famous by Greg Inglis's leap and flip back for an Australian try at the SCG in 2008. The ball is not dead even if it has broken the plane of the dead ball line, so long as the attacker has launched his lunge for the ball from the in-goal area, but has no part of his body grounded out of play when he makes contact with it.
In the case of the Knights/Roosters incident… the officials got the decision 100% correct.
http://www.nrl.com/foran-dce-the-new-kenny-sterling/tabid/10874/newsid/80626/default.aspx