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The biff is back in State of Origin

16th June, 2010
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Roar Guru
16th June, 2010
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2784 Reads
Queensland Maroons win 2010 State of Origin

Queensland player Sam Thaiday in action during Queensland's defeat over New South Wales in the 2nd State of Origin match between against New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Wednesday, June 16, 2010. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Queensland’s Origin victory last night sealed the fifth consecutive series win for the cane toads. But the game also involved numerous brawls between players. So is all this fighting good or bad for the game?

Phil Gould had several names for it – mêlée, fracas, brouhaha. Yes, last night certainly had Gould pulling out the thesaurus on several occasions.

A number of fierce grapple tackles and high tackles from both sides stirred emotions on the field. Though tensions finally reached boiling point for Queensland, when in the 25th minute, a spear tackle on Darius Boyd saw an onslaught of players rushing in, fists drawn. Shirts were torn and chins were bruised (as well as egos). But there was not one send off, despite a clear head-butt by O’Donnell on Dave Taylor, both of whom were the main ‘contenders’ in the ruckus, amongst the sea of red and blue.

Scott and Inglis soon got in on the act later in the match, after Inglis refused to let go of Scott’s jersey. This was just a downright stupid reason to brawl, but it nonetheless sparked another fight. Furthermore, because the fight was happening off the ball, play had to be stopped while the referee and other players tried to break it up. When brawls stop the game, surely this should not be tolerated?

Maybe brawls are just a feature of Origin, particularly during this game after the Tahu controversy in the Blues camp. But does that necessarily make it ok?

Origin is renowned for its brawls. In fact Origin has probably seen the most infamous punch-ups in League history, but in the modern game, is there really any room for it? Rules have been introduced, and referees (including video referees) have been under increasing pressure to enforce these rules. Players are in turn, now held to higher standards of game play. So how should we interpret the brawling we saw last night? Is this just needless violence or a statement of Origin pride?

All of last night’s incidents were brutal to watch. But didn’t the crowd enjoy them! Maybe that’s why so many people respond to the on field fighting which has become synonymous with Origin football.

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Will it take someone to get seriously hurt before we stop condoning and encouraging ‘the biff’?

Rugby players are elite athletes and the Origin series showcases the best in the NRL. There are standards of fair play which are adhered to by most other contact sports, such as the AFL for instance, with fighting deemed unsportsmanlike and often swiftly addressed either through a penalty or suspension.

But NRL seems to be far more tolerant of on-field brawling and aggressive play. A look back at Jarryd Hayne’s acquittal at the judiciary for a head-butt is just one example of this. Whereas such behaviour, even less aggressive than head-butting is often met with harsh suspension in the AFL.

No-one wants the NRL to ‘go soft’ but maybe something more can be done, to find a happy middle ground. A little less biff and a little more football perhaps?

So I put it to you – The Roar – is all this brawling good or bad for the game?

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